Questions from a total ignorant...

[LHH]

Hello all...

This is my first post on this board.

I recently bought a khukuri in a flea market, and as I know next to nothing about these knives, I hope you, good sirs, can enlighten me about what it is exactly I bought.

The knife weighs a a bit more than a pound, and the blade itself is 12-13 inches. The handle is made of horn.

There is an engraving reading

47H GARH??AL RIFLE
1853

on the blade it self, as well as a small engraving reading 'INDIA'.

The seller claimed the khukuri was from WWII. Was he pulling my leg?

I hope you can help me. Bundles of thanks in advance

LHH

[This message has been edited by LHH (edited 03-08-2001).]

 

[LHH]

Hmmm... Perhaps I'm being too impatient. (I am!) But it doesn't seem as if it was THAT simple to ID my beautiful knife.

Could anyone please point me to a place (or perhaps litterature?) where I could get some help IDing the knife?

I would really appreciate it.

LHH

 

[Lt. Dan]

Welcome, LHH. Rest assured that your post isn't being ignored. Some (like me) haven't answered because we're waiting for the collectors to show up. They're really knowledgeable and worth the wait. My interest is mostly in modern khukuris because the collecting wonderful old ones is beyond my means.

John Powell is working on an incredible khukuri book and posts here occasionally. You'll have plenty to learn if you'll go back through the old threads and look for him. A good place to start is with these titles: "WWII K45 vs. K", and "3 WWII Models". (both threads were last posted within 60 days)

Another favorite is Berkley. Both gentlemen have taken khukuri collecting to new heights and are generous in sharing their expertise.

Just look for these names beside the titles and go back as far as you have time to. I can't imagine it not being worth your while. Presently, there is a very in-depth thread on khukuri steel happening. If I can help you please let me know, and keep us updated on how it's going for you. It's good to see you here.

Glad to serve....Dan

 

[LHH]

Thanks for the reply, Lt. Dan.

I will do as you suggest, and look for the names you mentioned. (I did try to 'search' the board, but with no luck

) ...and I'll try to be a bit more patient

Thanks again

LHH

 

[Lt. Dan]

LHH, I'm happy to be of some service. You'll learn about the oldies swiftly by looking for those guys. Speaking of them....

JP?

Berk?

 

[Berkley]

LHH,
John Powell is The Man when it comes to IDing military khukuris (and non-military ones as well, for that matter

). I'm sure we'll hear something from him shortly. In the meantime, it would be a great help to identification if you could post a picture of your khukuri.
First you need to post your picture on the web, either on your own web page or one of the free Internet hosting sites like PhotoPoint. Then follow the directions here to either link to your picture or post it directly on the forum. There's more info in the FAQs.
Hope this helps. Looking forward to seeing and learning more about your khukuri, and welcome to the forum.
Berk
P.S. There were several units of Royal Garwhal Rifles in the British Indian Army. While we're waiting for John to drop by, you might want to check here and here to compare pictures of the most common WWII models with your khukuri.

[This message has been edited by Berkley (edited 03-10-2001).]

 

[LHH]

Thanks for the reply, Berkley.

And thank you for figuring out what the "missing" letters were. They are indeed a W and an H - when you know it, it's easy to see.

Unfortunately I haven't access to a scanner, but I've tried to draw the handle...

I hope it helps.

If you need to know any specifics or need further details, just say so.

Thanks again

LHH

[This message has been edited by LHH (edited 03-12-2001).]

 

[Craig Gottlieb]

LHH: Powell is definitely your man. If it's a real 19th century khukuri, he'll let you know, and will also probably try really hard to buy it (at a very fair price, I'm sure). He's probably the most accomplished historical khukuri collector I know, and is even working on a book on the subject.

Welcome aboard!

------------------
Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor