The Chindits – officially in 1943 designated the 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1944, the 3rd Indian Infantry Division was a British "Special Force" that served in Burma and India in 1943 and 1944 during the Burma Campaign in WW2. This is an original combat Bowie carried by Chindit troops. These fighting knives were manufactured in India during WW2 and come in a number of variations. An example the same as ours is illustrated on page 205 plate 493 of Flook’s book British & Commonwealth Military Knives. As is common with these knives there are no manufacturer or date marks on our example. The undamaged wood slab grips are secured to the Tang by 3 rivets. The grips have just light bumps and bruises to be expected with age and service use. It has a clean single edged 7 ½” long blade with correct drop point Bowie type tip. The blade is sharp with just a few small nibbles to the cutting edge consistent with service use. The correct original scabbard is made of leather, stitched along the edges and has a single belt loop to the rear of the scabbard. The scabbard has a leather retaining strap with press stud fastener. The leather has period hand applied ink name ‘Platt’ near to the retaining strap, most likely the name of the Chindit issued with this knife. The price includes UK delivery. ED 2205
£975