Mameluke Sword

A Mameluke Sword is a cross-hilted, curved, scimitar-like sword. It is related to the shamshir, which had its origins in Persia from where the style migrated to India, Egypt and North Africa. Adopted in the 19th Century by several western armed forces, including the French Army, British Army and the United States Marine Corps, the Mameluke sword remains the ceremonial sidearm for some units to this day.

United States Marine Corps

Today's Marine Mameluke sword closely resembles those first worn in 1826.

A sword of this type was presented to Marine Corps Lt. Presley O'Bannon by the Turkish viceroy, Kurchet Ahmet Pasha, on December 8, 1804, during the First Barbary War, as a gesture of respect. Perhaps due to the Marines' distinguished record during this campaign, including the capture of the Tripolitan city of Derna after a long and dangerous desert march, Marine Corps Commandant Archibald Henderson adopted the Mameluke pattern for the Corps' official dress sword in 1825, with initial distribution in 1826, and except for the period 1859-75 (when Marine officers wore Army M1850 foot officers' swords) a continuing history of use as of 2006.

British Army

Mameluke swords were carried as dress or levée swords by officers of most Light Cavalry, Hussar, and some Heavy Cavalry regiments at various points during the 19th Century, starting in the period after Waterloo. The current regulation sword for Generals, the 1831 Pattern, is a Mameluke style sword as were various Army Band swords.

There are a number of factors which influenced the fashion for Mameluke swords in the British Army.

• Napoleon raised a number of Mameluke units during his Egyptian campaigns, leading the adoption of the style of sword by many French officers. In the post Napoleonic period, French military fashion was widely adopted in Britain.
• The Duke of Wellington carried a Mameluke sword from his days serving in India and continued to throughout his career. Ater the defeat of Napolean his status as a national hero, Commander in Chief and then Prime Minister gave his tastes considerable weight.
• The USMC sword, discussed above, has been suggested ^[1] as also being influential. The 1831 Pattern General Officers' Sword is, indeed, very similar to the USMC Mameluke that pre-dated it.

References

1. ^ Robson, Brian: Swords of the British Army, The Regulation Patterns 1788 to 1914, Revised Edition 1996, National Army Museum ISBN 0-09-172133-6