Much has been written about the iconic Fairbairn-Sykes (F-S) Fighting Knife, and countless articles detail its fascinating history. Recently, I spent a week in the Scottish Highlands visiting the legendary Special Training Centre at Lochailort and the Commando Basic Training Centre at Achnacarry. During my time there, I attended lectures about the history of the F-S Fighting Knife, which inspired me to share some thoughts on this remarkable weapon. Below, you’ll find a few insights about the F-S Fighting Knife for non-expert military enthusiasts.
The Origins
It is well known that William Fairbairn and Eric Sykes served with the Shanghai Municipal Police in the early 20th century. At that time, Shanghai was one of the world’s most dangerous cities, dominated by violent gangs. Gang wars, murder, rape, and robbery were daily occurrences. It was in this chaotic environment that Fairbairn and Sykes, along with others, developed the so-called Shanghai Knife - a last-resort weapon for police officers.
The Shanghai Knife was typically crafted from old bayonets and featured a symmetrical blade about 5 to 5.5 inches long. Its grip was made from materials such as brass, wood, horn, or ivory. The leather scabbard could be worn upside down or sewn into clothing for quick access. As you can see from the picture below, it is evident that the Shanghai Knife served as the prototype for the iconic F-S Fighting Knife.
The Design
On 4 November 1940, Fairbairn and Sykes, serving as instructors at the Special Training Centre at Lochailort, met with John Wilkinson-Latham, managing director of Wilkinson Sword, and Charlie Rose, head of the company’s Experimental Department, to present and discuss their concept for a fighting knife.
It was determined that a penetration depth of at least 3.5 inches was necessary to deliver a mortal wound. Furthermore, the knife needed to pierce up to 3 inches of clothing or equipment, which led to the 6.5-inch blade length of the first pattern. The polished blade featured a ricasso (an unsharpened section of the blade near the hilt), an S-shaped nickel hilt, and a 5-inch crenelated nickel-plated brass handle. The blade was intentionally left shiny, as it was believed the reflected light would intimidate an adversary.
An initial batch of 1,500 "Hunting Knives" - a deliberately vague term used to conceal the knife’s true purpose - was ordered on 14 November 1940. The first 50 Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knives first pattern were produced by Wilkinson Sword Ltd. in January 1941.
Developments
In 1941, an additional order for 38,000 knives of the "New Pattern" (later referred to as the second pattern) was placed.
The design was simplified by eliminating the ricasso and replacing the S-shaped hilt with a straight, stamped hilt. The blade was slightly longer, measuring nearly 7 inches, while the handle remained unchanged. However, numerous variations of the second pattern were produced, differing in blade length, thickness, and finish.
The third pattern appeared around October 1943. The design was further simplified, primarily by replacing the strategically important and government-controlled brass handle with a handle made from a non-strategic alloy featuring 27 concentric rings. The blades were generally thicker and had a black finish.
It is said that Fairbairn disliked the third pattern due to its loss of perfect balance and a handle that was prone to slipping when wet with water or blood. Many regard the second pattern as the pinnacle of the F-S Fighting Knife’s design.
Welcome to Commando training
To understand who Fairbairn and Sykes were, I’ll use the words of Major Hall, who arrived at Inverailort House (Special Training Centre at Lochailort) in July 1940:
"His introduction to Fairbairn and Sykes at the Castle was to see what seemed, to a young man of around 22, like two ‘old’ men (then about 56–58 years old) tumbling down the stairs to arrive holding sub-machine guns (or handguns and knives – editor’s note) in front of the trainees waiting at the bottom of the stairs."
Legacy
The F-S Fighting Knife achieved immense success during World War II and remained in use during later conflicts, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the Gulf War, and in Afghanistan. Nearly two million of these knives were produced, with the majority being the third pattern.
The F-S Fighting Knife has served as a model for the development of numerous other fighting knives. Notable examples include the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Stiletto, the First Special Service Force (Devil’s Brigade) V-42 Stiletto, and the Applegate-Fairbairn Fighting Knife, among others.
Today, the F-S Fighting Knife remains a symbol of excellence for Special Forces. Many units feature the third-pattern F-S Fighting Knife or similar daggers in their unit emblems, embodying the knife’s enduring legacy as a hallmark of elite military forces.
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