It's been a while since I've posted into the knives community begun some time ago by a very legit chap called 
knives sharp things; It's not a knife per se so forgive me deadspace, it's a cool sharp thing nonetheless so I hope you approve. [If not, mute the post] 😏
Just a quick note here, this post isn't about the rifle but...The SMLE [Short Magazine Lee Enfield .303] is a fairly famous and widely used rifle with its first model being introduced in 1895. I've written about it before and you can see a quick post on it with a bit of history and information and about a day of shooting it right here. But let's talk bayonets.
The bayonet has been used for hundreds of years; It's a close-quarters offensive weapon designed for thrusting rather than cutting and slashing. With rise of the firearm swords were fast made redundant on the battlefield however in close-quarters engagement the soldier still required a means to attack [and defend] whilst also carrying his firearm, the rifle - Enter the sharp stabby thing called a bayonet.
Just on the word bayonet; It is said the name derives from the French town of Bayonne, Gascony where apparently the weapon was first made in the late 1600's - The weapon being called a baïonnette. I'm not sure how correct that is, but I've read it in books a few times and it sounds plausible so I'll run with it.
On the battlefields of the Western Front is where this particular weapon system found its place mounted upon the SMLE; Most of the British Commonwealth troops like Australia, New Zealand and Canada used the weapon system and it was indeed even used throughout the Second World War by these same troops many times although as that war proceeded more modern weapons were devised and the SMLE fell into decline.
Essentially, the troops would fix bayonets prior to advancing or when an enemy attack was expected. In these attacks the combatants would advance to the enemy lines and, if they made it to the enemy trench-system through shelling and withering machine gun and rifle fire, would jump down and start shooting or, if the enemy was in close-quarters would use the bayonet to clear the trenches.
Soldiers would parry and block the enemies own bayonet attack using the barrel of the rifle, seek an opening then seek to thrust the bayonet into the chest of the enemy, sometimes the stomach, wherever they could get the bayonet into the opponent and do the most damage usually.
Common practice was for soldiers kept their rifle loaded with a round in the chamber as often the bayonet would get stuck in the enemy, a rib cage for instance, and they would fire the rifle allowing the recoil to help draw the bayonet out rapidly so they could continue to engage the next enemy soldier. It sounds quite brutal and, of course was, but such is the nature of war which, we know well from history, humans are good at.
The bayonet was left in its sheath usually, carried on the belt of the soldier, so could also be drawn and used like a sword in situations that called for it; A fairly multi-use weapon system. I'd imagine it was used to slash plants out the way if a machete was not available, and for other uses too, although it was a weapon that a soldier relied upon so it was treated accordingly generally. A blunt bayonet may cost ones life right?
I bought my SMLE .303 complete with the bayonet and scabbard because I wanted to own a piece of history. I study war history, particularly Australian war history, and have travelled to many Australian battlefields including those World War One battlefields of the Western Front in France and Belgium. I have wandered fields and picked up pieces of shrapnel from exploded shells, bullets, buckles and other metal items left over from that conflict and having this rifle, which saw service in that war, on those battlefields, meant a lot to me. It's like an homage to those who paid the ultimate price.
The rifle doesn't get fired much, it's one hundred and fifteen years old after all; It sits in one of my gun safes just because. The bayonet also doesn't get much use although rests against the wall right next to my bed ready to spring into action should I discover an intruder in my home, or in case I want to eat some chips in bed and can't get the foil packet open. Either way I know how to operate it effectively and it'll do the job.
Above is the bayonet and scabbard which is made out of leather with a metal tip for additional strength. On drawing the bayonet one gets a pleasing ringing sound, like one would with a sword, and I can imagine the sound amplified when thousands of soldiers draw to fix bayonets prior to action. Of course, for those men it could have been one of the last things they ever did...Fortunately most will never know what it's like to face that.
Fitting this bayonet is simple, as with most. One simply slides the female slot of the bayonet over the male retainer on the rifle. A retaining lug needs to be depressed to get it on all the way and it clicks back into place locking the bayonet securely to the rifle.
Here you can see the bayonet in my hand. The handle-grip of the bayonet would feel a little small for a person with very large hands although for me it feels like a good grip. Having said that, the handle is designed to be used by most people so certainly is functional and sized for most. You can also see the female-slot I mention above top left.
Below is a few images showing the bayonet being fixed and below centre on the bottom row is the male retainer which holds the bayonet in place. Slip the bayonet on making sure the muzzle-ring is fitted over and around the muzzle of the rifle and it slides on.
Depress the spring-loaded locking mechanism to get it all the way on and then it clicks back into place to lock the bayonet on. Once fixed it's there for good until the process is reversed. The locking mechanism is designed to be secure and it would be very unlikely that the bayonet would come off in battle - I've never read of a case where this happened.
I'll be honest and say that when the rifle and bayonet are married up the whole feel of the weapon system comes together too - It feels dangerous and I'm always left with with mixed feelings. People used to fit these things then head off into action and jam them into other people - Something I'm sure didn't feel so good; Sure, kill or be killed, the nature of war, but those days there wasn't a lot of gap in between combatants like there is these days in modern warfare. It was up close and personal and with weapons like this a person was very present when the killing was done.
These days a soldier is able to fix his or her knife to the rifle-system usually however it's a knife and not a bayonet per se. Back in the First World War it seemed size mattered, a remnant of the old days of swords I would imagine. It made the system a little unwieldy of course, but considering the opposing forces had the same ethos it evened out.
The bayonet itself is 50.5 centimeters [550mm/21.6 inches] in length from tip to tail however once fitted to the rifle the entire weapon system is 1.5 metres in length [1540mm/60.6 inches]. So, when the butt of the rifle rests on the ground next to me it comes up to just over shoulder height at the tip of the bayonet.
Consider the arm-length of the soldier, his reach, and one gets an idea of what sort of range a soldier had with the bayonet fitted. Of course, close-quarters combat like this didn't always happen in the open so in the confines of a trench-system it would have been quite difficult to maneuver and fight. They did so however, and for the entire First and Second Wars this system was used extensively to great effect in close-combat.
I keep my bayonet sharp; You can see that it's been recently sharpened by the silver edge to it. This blade will easily shave the hairs off my arm and that's about sharp enough I'd say. It stays in its scabbard mostly though as I don't have the need to draw it and very rarely do I marry it up with its rifle. It was good to do so today though, for these photos.
I know this post won't mean much to other people, that most will struggle to find any relevance in it; However to me, as I said earlier, owning this small piece of history is important. It's a connection to those Australian's who went to places they had never heard of to fight someone else's war, many of which paid a high price; Their lives on the battlefield, physical wellbeing through injury and their future life through the emotional and moral turmoil war often brings to a soldier.
To me this rifle and bayonet is a small piece of that legacy and it feels good to have it and to know the stories and history behind it and the men who carried it into battle.
Lest we forget.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
Discord: galenkp#9209
