A very interesting sabre is the 'English thistle' it was the first sword
issued after Drummossie Moor to Scots troops. It bears a English imprint on
a Scots basket hilt with a straight single blood flute. I acquired one a
number of years ago. Mine is good nick but far from mint. In a catalogue
published by the National Trust for Scotland in London 1996 ' The Swords and
the Sorrows' it is the only post Jacobite sword listed. There was in that
catalogue a silver hilted hanger or cutto carried by James Wolfe, later
General James Wolfe, the victor at Quebec, who fought as a young officer for
the Government at Culloden. Most of the English officers carried swords
with German made blades and English hilts.
Bonny Prince Charlie carried, what else, an Italian sword. Had there been a
better Prince and something more that a drunken Quartermaster the day events
might have killed the British Empire before it was born. Only the French
kings bodyguard commanded by a Sinclair allowed the Italian pretender to
slip away. The Royal Écosse were treated as Prisoners of War unlike the
Rebels.
Sinclairs had enough sense on that occasion to fight for the Government.
After the attainder in 1715 the lesson was well learned.
Sinclair
----- Original Message -----
From: Iain Laird <iain.laird@totalise.co.uk>
To: <sinclair@quarterman.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 02, 2001 6:32 PM
Subject: Re: 'Sinclair sabre's '
> For more sabre/sabre information see
> http://www.militaryheritage.com/swords1.htm and
> http://www.napoleonguide.com/weapinf.htm. For a picture of a Claymore see
> http://www.shetlandpiper.com/Weapons/claymore.html and
> http://www.armsofvalor.com/scottish.htm. The Scottish basket hilted sword
[ Excess quotations omitted. ]
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