The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives - Home Page
This site is dedicated primarily to exploring the history of the iconic Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife (commonly known as the British Commando knife), the many variants of that weapon, and the brave men and women who trained with it, carried it, and whose valor made it famous.
Third Pattern - The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives
Introduced in October of 1943 many F-S aficionados do not consider the Third Pattern Commando knife a "Fairbairn Sykes". By this time the design had mutated to something quite different, sharing only the format of a seven inch double-edged blade.
First Pattern - The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives
Below: Here is a spray of original WW-II First Pattern Fairbairn Sykes. All made by Wilkinson Sword Co., you can see the differences in the hand ground blades and even the curvature of the "S" guards.
Variants - The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives
In this section we will take a look at many of the "variations on a theme", so to speak, of the British Commando knife. Some of them are obviously semi-mass produced while others will be one-offs, or of very limited production.
The Beginning - The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives
A short chronology of the development of the Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knife. 1933-1939 Shanghai style Daggers: The design resulted from collaboration between William Fairbairn and Samuel S. Yeaton, Moore, and Taxis. Approximately a dozen knives were produced in Shanghai. More were later made by workers in Australia.
EK Knives - The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives
EK Knives serving military fighting men since the 1940s. World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, Afghanistan. Ek Throwing Knife: This is an Ek knives throwing knife from Their time in Richmond, VA. It is a reproduction of those made during WW-II and later.
Examples - The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives
So we have added another tired, but still combat worthy, Fairbairn-Sykes to our collection. Based on the soldier's medals, it is one which deserved a good home. Below: Here are some photos that accompanied the weary SAS First Pattern dagger.
WW-II Commando Knives - The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives
The British Fairbairn Sykes fulfills that task-specific mission as well today as it did 70 years ago. The sub-categories of this, and other, sections will familiarize you with many of the styles of "commando knives" used throughout WW-II, the small detailed differences, and derivatives of the original knives that are in use today.
Inspection Stamps - The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives
We have provided close-ups of these inspectors stamps to help you determine the legitimacy of a knife you might be considering buying. Of late there are rumors of people counterfeiting stampings which clouds the issue considerably.
USMC & OSS Stiletto - The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives
The USMC Stiletto's F~S parentage is quite obvious but its construction included a few major design and materials flaws not common to the F~S. Primary among these is the short tang and thin blade which tended to snap off, as you will note in one of the knives shown here.