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A Lochaber armourer has created greater than 50 hand-crafted examples of one of many world’s most iconic combating knives to mark the half-century anniversary of the British Army’s commando-trained engineers.
It took practically a 12 months for Paul Macdonald, a local of Glenuig, who now runs his MacDonald Armouries from close to West Linton within the Scottish Borders, to finish the particular order for 54 Fairbairn & Skypes Commando knives.
The examples of this legendary combating knife have been just lately introduced to members of 59 Unbiased Commando Squadron, Royal Engineers based mostly at RMB Chivenor in Devon, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the unit’s founding in 1971.
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The unit is made up of volunteers from the British Army’s Royal Engineers and varieties a key a part of the Royal Marines’ 3 Commando Brigade, with their primary position to offer fight engineering assist to the brigade.
What made these examples of the Fairbairn & Sykes commando knife additional particular is that the wooden handles – referred to as the hilt of a knife – have been crafted by Paul from timber from a wind-blown beech tree that initially began life on Achnacarry Property, in Lochaber.
Achnacarry Property was house to the Commando Primary Coaching Centre throughout the Second World Conflict and has lengthy and proud affiliation with Britain’s well-known elite troopers.
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The beech tree from which Paul obtained his wooden for the hilts for the 54 bladed weapons got here from one of many saplings famously being planted by Donald Cameron of Lochiel on the time of the arrival of Prince Charles Edward Stuart.
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In response to legend, on listening to of the prince’s arrival close by, Lochiel instantly stopped his work, leaving the younger bushes in a trench with the intention of planting them later.
However he by no means returned and the bushes took root and are nonetheless there to this present day, alongside the River Arkaig.
Paul defined: ‘It has been a 12 months within the making and a definite honour to craft a restricted variety of Achnacarry Heritage FS Fightings Knives for 59 Commando Squadron Royal Engineers, commemorating their fiftieth anniversary.
‘The grips have been crafted from stabilised Achnacarry spalted beech wooden. That is from a tree which was planted by the Clan Cameron chief, Donald Cameron of Lochiel, in August 1745, and which grew to type a part of the ropework course for the Commando Primary Coaching Centre throughout WW2.
‘Every knife carries a full face commemorative scroll etching on each blade metal and scabbard leather-based. Each guard is individually numbered together with signed certificates of authenticity.’
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And Paul added that he was delighted with the way in which the particular consignment of knives had turned out.
‘They did take a very long time to make and I used to be delighted with the way in which they turned out. From what I’ve heard they have been very properly obtained by the troopers, each serving and veterans, who have been introduced with them,’ he informed us.
Paul already had the inventory of timber from the Achnacarry Property beech tree in his possession and says the hyperlink between the wooden, the Jacobites and the wartime commandos makes the knives – which observe the third sample first issued throughout the warfare – that bit additional particular.
Paul’s Macdonald Armouries handcrafts the most important vary of top quality Fairbairn-Sykes British Commando knives accessible worldwide right now, however so common have been they proving that Paul needed to cease taking orders a variety of years in the past when he had sufficient work for the subsequent decade.
In addition to an armourer and sword-maker par excellence, as Maestro Macdonald he’s additionally one in every of Europe’s main researchers and instructors of conventional martial arts; a master-at-arms educating of conventional Scottish martial arts together with historic kinds of swordsmanship and fencing.
He has been making high-quality reproductions of edged weaponry for historic fencers, collectors, museums and theatre firms for years.
CAPTION:
One of many particular commando knives and accompanying certificates made by Paul Macdonald to mark the Commando Sappers’ fiftieth anniversary. {Photograph}: Macdonald Armouries. NO F09 knives 04
