WW1 Canadian Ross Bayonet

[Gildwiller1918]

The Canadians went to war with the Ross Rifle which was in production from 1903 to 1918. This rifle was a result of experiences gained from the second Boer War, and in which a dispute ensued where the United Kingdom did not grant permission for the Lee-Enfield rifle to be produced under license in Canada. In 1903, Charles Ross secured funds and a government contract to begin production on his newly designed rifle, with 12,000 being made in the first year. The Ross used a straight pull design, loosely based upon the Mannlicher M1895, which offered quick loading and rapid fire. Additionally the rifle was very simple, requiring little to no tools to disassemble, clean and repair. However grumblings of the troops hinted at some design flaws, which were correct to make the Ross Rifle, Mk II. This rifle is what the Canadians had on hand when arriving in France in february of 1915. Eventually there were three versions of the rifle, the Mk. 1, Mk. II, and Mk. III.

Once in combat, the rifle again became plagued with complaints such as the bayonet falling off when it was secured, the bolt not operating properly, jamming and so on. During the Battle at Ypres, it was noted that Canadians were taking the SMLE rifles off dead British troops to get rid of their Ross rifles. The problem became so severe that the governments of Canada and the UK had to get involved to solve this issue. The British eventually would up issuing the Enfield pattern 14 rifle to Canadian forces to replace the Ross. Approximately 420,000 Ross service rifles were produced. When the US entered the war in 1917, 20,000 of the ross rifles and bayonets were sent the America for training purposes until the M1903 and M1917 rifles could be produced in sufficient numbers. When the US accepted the Rifles and accessories, they were stamped with "US" and the flaming bomb symbol to show US government ownership. 

This bayonet is an example of the US procured types, on the right side wood handle you can see the "US" and flaming bomb. This bayonet and rifle would have been used by US troops in the 32 basic training camps across the nation to train the millions of troops for the conflict. Like the Krag-Jorgensen rifle, the Ross earned a new lease on life in a supplemental role.