An Exceptional 1888 The Sherwood Foresters {Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire} Regimental Lee Metford Mk1 Pattern 2 Bayonet With Excellent Scabbard

In superb condition, a real beauty!. Regimentally marked for the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire regiment, 'DY', The Sherwood Foresters, formed in 1881, {who later served at Gallipoli}. Scabbard stamped EFD for Enfield.

Sherwood Foresters saw action in Egypt during the Anglo-Egyptian War, and was stationed at Malta from September 1898. Following the outbreak of the Second Boer War in October 1899, the battalion was sent to South Africa where they arrived in December. They were stationed in the Orange Free State and took part in fighting under General Sir William Gatacre. From April 1900 they were part of the 21st Infantry brigade under General Bruce Hamilton.3 The battalion stayed in South Africa until the end of the war, then transferred on the SS Wakool to a new posting at Hong Kong in September 1902.4

The 2nd Battalion served in India from 1882 to 1898, and saw action in the Sikkim Expedition 1888 and the North West Frontier campaign 1897–1898, after which they transferred to Aden. They were stationed at Malta from February 1900 until returning home in May 1902

The Lee-Metford rifle (a.k.a. Magazine Lee-Metford, abbreviated MLM) was a bolt action British army service rifle, combining James Paris Lee's rear-locking bolt system and ten-round magazine with a seven groove rifled barrel designed by William Ellis Metford. It replaced the Martini-Henry rifle in 1888, following nine years of development and trials, but remained in service for only a short time until replaced by the similar Lee-Enfield.

We bought the entire small collection from the widow of a 'Best of British Empire Rifles and Bayonets, Both British and German' collector, who acquired them over the past 40 years, and only ever kept the very best he could afford to keep. Act fast they are selling really fast, three rifles and eight bayonets and a cutlass have sold in two days alone.. Top quality and condition,19th and 20th century scarce British and German collectables are always the most desirable of all. Also for use with the earliest form of Long Lee Rifle, the Boer War and early WW1 Enfield Rifle Fitting the early Long Lee Rifle until 1903/4 when the Long Lee had a new narrower bayonet bar fitted and the cleaning rod channel removed, the later 1903 Metford bayonet thus altered to fit, but retaining the same blade until the 1907 long bladed SMLE bayonet was devised. The Lee Metford and Long Lee rifle and bayonet were used in the Chinese Legations during the Boxer Rebellion in Peking in June 1900.

The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire regt. in 1914 they became part of the First New Army (K1) and then moved to Grantham to join the 33rd Brigade of the 11th Division.The 11th (Northern) Division, was an infantry division of the British Army during the First World War, raised from men who had volunteered for Lord Kitchener's New Armies. The division fought in the Gallipoli Campaign and on the Western Front. The division's insignia was an ankh or ankhus.

April 1915 Moved to the Frensham area.
July 1915 Embarked for Mudros from Liverpool.
20-31.07.1915 At Helles and engaged in various actions against the Turkish Army including;
07.08.1915 Landed at Suvla Bay;
The Battle of Sari Bair in the Gallipoli campaign
Dec 1915 Deployed to Imbros.
Feb 1916 Deployed to Egypt and took over a section of the Suez Canal defences.
July 1916 Deployed to France and engaged in various action on the Western Front including;
The capture of the Wundt-Werk, The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, The Battle of Thiepval, the Battle of Delville wood on the 7th August 1916 as machinegunners alongside the Staffs
1917
Operations on the Ancre, The Battle of Messines, The Battle of the Langemarck, The Battle of Polygon Wood, The Battle of Broodseinde, The Battle of Poelcapelle.
1918
The Battle of the Scarpe, The Battle of the Drocourt-Quant Line, The Battle of the Canal du Nord, The Battle of Cambrai 1918, The pursuit to the Selle, The Battle of the Sambre.
11.11.1918 Ended the war south of Mons, Belgium.

Code: 25159