Argyll & Sutherland Offcer's dirk

[Hugh]

I recently bought an officer's dirk from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, c. 1882 - 1900.  You may have seen it in the Spnks catalogue.  It was bloody expensive, but I'm happy with it, and of course must show it off.  I've shown it with its cousin, a sghean dubh for the Seaforth Highlanders, which I showed some years ago.  I like the idea of the knife and fork, rather like the Ghurka kukri I had years ago.  

Edited June 23, 2018 by Hugh

[peter monahan]

Not a knife and fork but specialized haggis hunting tools!

What a lovely thing. 

[Hugh]

Oh, Peter, you shouldn't have encouraged me.  Some followup pictures. 

The first appears to be Princess Louise's cypher and coronet from the 91st (Princess Louise's Argyllshire Highlanders).   

The second and third are the Boar and the Cat respectively.  I wasn't able to attribute these in a quick search of J. S. Farmer, Kipling and King and Reginald Cox's books, but assume that one or both would have been the badge of the 93rd ( Sutherland Highlanders).  

Next up, the blade.

 

[peter monahan]

The regimental museum says this about the boar:

"In 1871 the Queen’s daughter, HRH Princess Louise, married the Marquess of Lorne, (later 9th Duke of Argyll) and at the wedding the 91st provided the Guard of Honour. A year later in 1872 she was appointed Colonel-in-Chief and the 91st became ‘Princess Louise’s Argyllshire Highlanders’, with her coronet and cipher and the Argyll Boar’s Head and motto of ‘Ne Obliviscaris’ added to their insignia." of the 'cat-a-mountain'.

[BlackWatch]

Beautiful Dirk to the Argylls. They are very expensive but well worth it, I would say. The pure quality of it is just fantastic, really a beautiful thing. Great find and thanks for sharing! In the drawing below you'll find an Officer of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in the Victorian period wearing his Full Dress Uniform and has his dirk on his belt. 

-Jamie