Oh no what have I done?

[kingsman64]

Her indoors is going to hang me!

I have been trading in medals since I was thirteen when Granddad entrusted me with his hard earned campain group and before you ask no they were not traded! In fact they still have pride of place 35 years later in my dining room I then started buying cap badges to put the correct one with any group of medals I was moving on, somehow it always looks better to me medals and the correct cap badge.

I have always resisted, not because of any moral standpoint more because of (a) Lack of space (b) £ needed for medals and © 4 little uns crawling round at various stages, I have managed to avoid picking up weapons edged or firearms......until now!

I have just acquired a Father and Son medal group, both to the same regiment Queens Royal West Surrey regiment Father's WW1 and sons WW2 a confirmed Chindit with the 2nd Battalion his documents and a nice worn Chindit Div patch.The lot also came with what I originally though was some sort of Japanese short sword souvenir pick up. I was partly right but the history I uncovered behind my first ever edged weapon has been fascinating to say the least.

Apparently my short sword started life as a M1898 Dutch Naval Cutlass or Klewang! It is stamped HEMBRUG at the Ricasso and has arsenal marks on the other side. There are a proliferation of othe rmarkings including a brass plate with unit identification, scabbard stampings and a crude scratched in personal number to the scabbard it is in very good condition considering its history.

Issued and used extensively throughout the Dutch colonial empire a quantity were captured by the Japanese who did not like the length or the basket hand guard and so the naval cutlasses were cut down to around 18" and given a distinctive japanese look, they became a quasi machette short self defense weapon. The Japanese then used them as machetes and provided them to native sympathizers (called "Heihos") as weapons. These "Heiho" Klewangs were later re-captured by US Forces and used by them for the remainder of the war. After the war ended the Dutch sent their colonial troops back to the Netherland East Indies and took the remaining modified Klewangs from the native population due to colonial unrest.

Quite how my Chindit got hold of one I will never no but I feel another colecting theme coming on! Which side arm belongs with this group of medals

Picking my repaired camera up later so will post some pictures to go with this post later this evening. Does anybody else on here own a cut down 1898 Klewang? Are they scarce?

Regards

[Mervyn Mitton]

Kingsman - yet another set of co-incidences to find this remarkable sword. I hope you can get further information

and we will look forward to the picture. Mervyn

[Paul R]

I cannot wait to see the pictures of the entire grouping.