Regimental kamis in the British Army, 1960s

[Tom Holt]

I found a nice little miniature khuk in an antique store today. It's 13" long, 0.225" thick at the spine, with a 3" handle with a pronounced curve; nicely executed, blade very well hardened, though there are folds in both the blade and the karda; the style it most closely resembles is a Salyan. The quality of the scabbard is exceptional. Definitely a 'real' khuk, albeit scaled down to miniature size.

What prompted me to buy it, however, was the provenance; it came with a note saying that it was made in October 1962 by Lance-Corporal Chabilal Sarki at the Royal Army Ordnance Corps school at Singapore.

Would L/Cpl Sarki have been a kami attached to a Gurkha unit, making/refurbishing khukuris part or full time? Or was this more likely a Gurkha soldier from a kami family making a khuk or two in his spare time (hence the miniature size)? Or has the story got garbled in transmission, and did L/Cpl Sarki just make the scabbard?

 

[Bill Martino]

I'd guess that L/Cpl Sarki made the scabbard and not the knife but no way to prove this -- just educated guess. Many sarkis and kamis join the Gorkhas and some even ply their trade as metal workers and leather workers while wearing the uniform rather than shooting and chopping. The Gorkhas need their support personnel like every Army unit. I don't know for sure but I hear from the big boys that it currently takes about a dozen support folks to keep one infantryman in the field.

 

[Daniel Koster]

any pics?

 

[Tom Holt]

Thanks for the info, Bill.

My best guess is that, given its small size (no way could it be considered a 'business' khukuri) it was made either as a demonstration of khukuri making, or as a presentation piece for a retiring officer, something like that. The town where I bought it is a popular retirement area for ex-military types - hence a good supply in the antique shops of tulwars, African weapons, and even the occasional khuk.