WW1 US MK1 Trench Knife

[Gildwiller1918]

Here is one of my favorite pieces, the MK1 Trench Knife, French made version "Au Lion", which was not all that different from the US made version. Only real difference is the French made version most likely was used by US forces before the end of the war, whereas the US version did not arrive in time. 

Not much is known about the French version, such as date of issue and number produced. For the US version, 119,424 were made before the armistice out of an original order of 1,232,780. 

The blade is double sided, and 6 3/4 inches long. The handle was cast bronze with spiked knuckles and on the end of the grip was a pommel. It is a very robust knife, well weighted and very deadly in design. Also these knives are very desirable to collectors and are not cheap. This knife has been heavily faked, collectors should do research before buying, lest you wind up with a repro. 

 

[Gildwiller1918]

Here is the scabbard for the knife above. The French made version had a simple steel scabbard with two prongs that would allow the user to attach the scabbard to the American M1910 equipment. It is not uncommon to find these scabbards with prongs missing. The black looking one is a modern reproduction for the US made LF&C Knife.