A Gift from a friend.. A broadleaf?

R

Rose&Thorn

Joined
Jun 27, 2012
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151
A very good friend of mine passed this along to me.

Her boss had it for many years as part of a trade and knowing I loved khukuris...

She asked after it.

Any thoughts as to the age/potential history of it?

There appears to be no Devanagari, is missing the chukmuk - and I am unfamiliar with this leather used for the sheath.



Now let's see if I can get photo bucket to work..

http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/Roseandthornforge/media/Mobile Uploads/image-1.jpg.html
 
Looks very much like the Long Leaf that my pal down in Texas sent me. I'll leave the details to those smarter than I but as I recall they were like early 1900's maybe slightly earlier?
Most found now as surplus from the big arsenal over there don't have chakmas or kardas and your sheath I think came later, not original to the blade. I gotta go look again but I don't think it original.

The handle with all the pins is different, I could be way off the mark on this. Better wait for one of the wiser folks.
 
Hi there,

It looks like a 1920-30's Officers style kukri, sometimes referred to as "armoury" kukri when they bear a crescent stamp above the kaudi (can't tell from the pic if this one does). Common features seem to be the spine decoration, dui chirra, pinned or banded horn handles (looks like OP's kukri once had a band fitted too), and the crescent stamp. I have seen these in many forms; full on combat weapon, dress type, children's kukri and even tourist tat mimic. Without better pics and spec it's hard to tell exactly what the OP has. The only piece I've seen with provenance to a region was from Kumaon.

If you google image the term armoury kukri you'll see some similar examples.

All the best
 
There! Thats better;)
Yep ! Looks like a friend of mines khuk from Washington except it has a few more Chirras and a few more pins. I have to wait for the experts as well. Its really hard to tell the difference from some post WWII tourist models and the real officers khuks. Theres others that have seen so many of these pieces they can give a pretty confident ID but hard to tell from the pics. Is the keeper stamped into the buttplate or is it two pieces? The sheath look like a later addition? Nice find nonetheless.
image-1.jpg

image.jpg
 
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In the new pics the crescent marks are visible. You have the "Eyelash" version, a crescent with three balls at either end. This seems to be more strongly associated with India than Nepal. Is the butt plate decorated like this by any chance?

IMG_0971_zps168185c1.jpg



With the dimensions you list I'm confident in the ID of a 20's-30's British Indian Officers/"Armoury" kukri. Enjoy!

Check out IKRHS.com and search for "Armoury" for more discussion and examples of this type. This thread briefly discusses the stamp and has pics of some similar examples:http://www.ikrhs.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=967&hilit=armoury&start=15
 
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Hi Silverjohn,

This has the exact same design on the hilt, just done in brass.

s1077.photobucket.com/user/Roseandthornforge/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-6.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

I'll look look up armory Khukuri's! Thank you!

Right now I'm just in a debate between restoring it, or keeping it in its original form should I ever want to pass it on.
 
That's always a tough decision. Always the urge to take it and make it perfect again like the day it was made.
I do try hard to fight that urge though and leave it the way it's become. It's probably earned that weathered been there look.

I'd of course keep it well oiled and probably minor clean up on the blade some but wouldn't break out the polisher as tempting as it is.

It's a beauty and it gets even better the more you learn about it.
 
Bawanna said:
That's always a tough decision. Always the urge to take it and make it perfect again like the day it was made.
I do try hard to fight that urge though and leave it the way it's become. It's probably earned that weathered been there look.

I'd of course keep it well oiled and probably minor clean up on the blade some but wouldn't break out the polisher as tempting as it is.

It's a beauty and it gets even better the more you learn about it.
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What he said!
 
Agree with those 2. I would make sure there is no live corrosion/ or active rust then I vote to leave that earned patina alone.
 
Nope Bookie, O3 was as far as I was able to go. No opportunity for females to get "combat time" back then so fast-tracking the promotion board for Major wasn't possible. I resigned my commission at 8 years, well before I would have qualified for consideration for promotion to O4. One of the few things I kick myself about when I look back with that 20/20 hindsight was not staying long enough to retire, the extra money if I had stayed even till 20 would have been awful nice these days. Just think of the HI Khuk collection I could afford with that extra each month :D
 
"Just think of the HI Khuk collection I could afford with that extra each month "

Kind of makes the mouth water don't it?
 
Mouth water??!! I thought you was just slobberin' or droolin'! Uncontrollably like. A teethin' baby gummin' a piece of peppermint candy like. Actually, mad dog like.

I understand well, Ma'am. Some day, I'll tell you about seeing two Doughnut Dollies with bandoleers of M60 ammo draped across themselves helping out when the NVA tried to overrun a FSB they were visiting. Something we seldom talk about apart from ourselves. Kick ass! is what all of us say about them. Just before we could fly them out, the grunt CO gave them both a CIB to wear. They earned them.
 
Yep Bookie, That is one of my biggest complaints when people talk about allowing women into the "combat" MOS's they keep talking about how distracting to the males it would be for them to be there being shot at. I keep saying they already ARE there and being shot but since they can't be in the combat MOS they can't get fast track promotions. Had one guy talk about how a girl in his unit was shot in the backside and they all spent their freetime remembering the unit medic patching her up. He used that as an example of how they would distract the guys...I pointed out he made my point for me, they are already there. So why can't they get credit like CIBs towards promotion LOL. he still didn't get it.
 
Shavru said:
Yep Bookie, That is one of my biggest complaints when people talk about allowing women into the "combat" MOS's they keep talking about how distracting to the males it would be for them to be there being shot at. I keep saying they already ARE there and being shot but since they can't be in the combat MOS they can't get fast track promotions. Had one guy talk about how a girl in his unit was shot in the backside and they all spent their freetime remembering the unit medic patching her up. He used that as an example of how they would distract the guys...I pointed out he made my point for me, they are already there. So why can't they get credit like CIBs towards promotion LOL. he still didn't get it.
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Because they might get shot at even more causing more distraction?

I don't see how a guy could be more distracted? Maybe if it was his sister or mom. But then same would go for brother or dad. Maybe if the guys are interested in her in other ways? But that could be the same thing with a guy being shot at and a few homosexual boys serving these days watching it.
 
Some people say it can't be done because they DO NOT WANT it to be done. Read Yael Dyan's (Gen. Moshe Dyan's daughter)book about the Seven Day War. She tells of her all female platoon and their Uzis advancing on the Egyptians. The Egyptians were putting smell good on themselves and preening big time. They thought they'd have a hot time in the old town tonight. Well, they all became prisoners very quickly after getting their butts kicked.
 
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yeah and read the lists of the most feared snipers in history. Women are actually the majority of the top of the list.

Jens, The guys that talk about distractions to keep women from being in combat MOSs use either "guys are programmed by nature to protect women so would do extra foolish things to protect them" OR the sex thing would distract them or even cause them to start arguing amongst themselves over who she should be having sex with. No one seems to be able to counter the argument that the women are already there and if they are a distraction it is already happening it is just that they don't get credit for the combat awards on their promotion boards. They just keep saying they will be a distraction. Now if they want to put in qualifiers about people who can't lift particular weights or can't pass certain tests of physical capability. But make it reasonable to the job AND make it for women or men, I saw quite a few males that got CIBs that couldn't pass the tests of lifting a tank round into the breech that they want to use as a "women can't do it" view.
 
Shavru said:
yeah and read the lists of the most feared snipers in history. Women are actually the majority of the top of the list.

Jens, The guys that talk about distractions to keep women from being in combat MOSs use either "guys are programmed by nature to protect women so would do extra foolish things to protect them" OR the sex thing would distract them or even cause them to start arguing amongst themselves over who she should be having sex with. No one seems to be able to counter the argument that the women are already there and if they are a distraction it is already happening it is just that they don't get credit for the combat awards on their promotion boards. They just keep saying they will be a distraction. Now if they want to put in qualifiers about people who can't lift particular weights or can't pass certain tests of physical capability. But make it reasonable to the job AND make it for women or men, I saw quite a few males that got CIBs that couldn't pass the tests of lifting a tank round into the breech that they want to use as a "women can't do it" view.
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Lol. I saw some of these guys who wouldn't have passed. Its fine, they got other jobs, also vital of course. You are right the qualifiers should be for both genders. Some guys wouldn't pass and some girls too. Of course not everybody is suited for everything. I was too tall for battle tanks (which were surprisingly spacious inside for the loader) and some spine thing didn't allow me to jump from aeroplanes (was Infantry anyways)
Also if theres no medical indication, there should be enough time for training before banning a person no matter which gender. Sure carrying a mortar is hard even for strong guys, it hurts and one needs to get used to it but if a weak guy or not so strong woman wants to train that in a reasonable time , why not?
When I served, women were only allowed in medical services. There was one in our whole Battalion. That was a bit of a distraction, no matter how she looked, for it was so rare. Once it becomes more widespread and normal it should be much less of a distraction.
What was strange that even back then one woman in the whole country was a fighter pilot. Maybe the ban was only against girls fighting on the ground?

From an Israeli friend I heard that women had to serve but they usually stayed back in camp and made food and baked nice cakes while the guys did the combat stuff. Maybe he was just making it up or maybe he served just too long ago?
 
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