John Paisley Who?

The world of the collector can get quite heady, it doesn’t matter what you are collecting. For example, since creating my website several people have generously referred to me as an expert or an authority. While I take that as a great compliment it is not all together true. Certainly I have more experience or knowledge of Fairbairn Sykes fighting knives than the average knife-person but I am far from an expert.

 

It is amazing how much history can be twisted or lost in a few years time. When we are talking WW-II fighting knives we are talking 70 years. Sadly many of the “experts” have passed away. They were the men who were issued and carried the knives we collect. Some of them lived or died by the knife and hand to hand skills they learned from legendary people like WE Fairbairn, EA Sykes, Pat O’Neill, and Rex Applegate. These people often took with them their stories and left us to do our best to search out the truth.

 Sometimes Names and Places get confused in the minds of men nearing their 9^th decade. Is that to be wondered at? Sometimes details are sharp and crystal clear but the big picture is fuzzy. Businesses and even the buildings they knew may now be gone, replaced with others, or paved for parking or a new hi-way. What city has not changed since WW-II? The old Vet says: “The shop was in the third door down from the corner, you know the one near the fish market." We go our merry way searching for the fish market that no longer exists and decide that the old codger must have been a little confused. He knew that the smithy he talked about was no more than a shed on the back of another shop, operated by maybe a cutler or a jeweler, but we are looking for a full blown blacksmith shop. He says the knife he was issued was made from a bayonet and we say that is simply folklore because we know you cannot make a commando knife from a bayonet. He handled the knife, carried it into combat, and seventy years later we call ourselves the experts. You wonder, why am I writing all of this?

 

Here is a photo of a man at a large open forge. He is John Paisley of Glasgow, Scotland. Reportedly he hand crafted a few commando knives and other edged weapons for the SOE and other clandestine groups during WW-II. Some have researched the man and decided that there is only one possible man who could fit that description and he was not a knife maker, but a jeweler. The location of the jewelry shop does not fit the one description that exists of the location of Paisley’s forge. Therefore, it cannot be him in the photo, he does not exist, and the photo is a fake. Paisley knives must therefore also be fakes, end of story. Some experts have said that the clothing and the forge appear to be of the period but they note there is no signature or date on the photo. Do you have any family photos undated and unsigned? At least one expert, perhaps two or three, agree with me that the jeweler and the knife maker are likely one and the same. Many of the experts overlook the fact that jewelers often made or ornamented sgian dhu or scottish dirks, or that men's clothing shops, like J&I Marshall, sold commando knives. We get locked into one way of thinking.

 I have performed some research on the internet and found that at this time in history there were still small local forges all over Scotland. It is not inconceivable that Paisley did his knife making/forging at a location away from his city storefront. It could have been right in the back alley or in a more rural location. The experts counter, then why is there no listing for his forge in the gazetteers? First, I suggest that a man making weapons for people involved in clandestine operations probably did not hang out a shingle advertising such. That would be like a merchant putting a sign in his window: “Seal Team Six Shops Here!” The biggest difference is today some merchant might be gauche enough to do that, back then people were more discreet. Second, his forge may have not been a flourishing business that would rate a listing in a gazetteer.

 I would like to go to Scotland and research this enigma named John Paisley. So far several explorations via the web and email have not panned out. The passage of time is confounding the issue and making it much harder to find any factual evidence. We are left with the burden of proof that he existed while others are content to say he did not. Their "proof" is an absence of proof. I admit there is the possibility that John Paisley is a fictitious character. If the knives are indeed counterfeit I have a theory who the real J. Paisley might be. If that line of research were to prove out, and my optional hypothesis prove true, then the story would be just as tantalizing and the knives just as desirable. All it takes is time and money, and a whole lot of luck. Someone out there knows the truth, someone who is of an age, hopefully with a few years left, to tell us the true story. There are more photos and info on our website. http://www.fairbairnsykesfightingknives.com/index.html

tomahawks

What are the battle-wagons of edged fighting weapons? Among the most devastating are the Bowie, Barong, Kukri, Smatchet and Tomahawk. These weapons are a far cry from my fascination with the delicate Fairbairn Sykes Commando knife, yet in service these big bad boys can provide multiple functions, utility and combat. Lets look at one type at a time, starting with tomahawks.

You have read articles by me on Bowie knives but you might be wondering what the heck do I know about Tomahawks. In a previous life, or so it seems, my family and I participated in re-enacting encampments of the French & Indian war and Revolutionary war Era. So for contrast, or background, I have included photos of some of the “hawks” I carried and used in that past-life-time. There are pipe hawks, spike hawks, and poll hawks. All of them are different in size and shape, but one as deadly as another. The contrast between my diminutive F & I spike hawks and the new Benchmade version is quite stark. On the early ones the handles were purposely “whippy” and the blade or spike was snapped-in rather than used with heavy chopping strokes. The spikes tended to be more rounded to create a concussive, blunt trauma injury without the danger of the spike lodging in bone or brain. On today’s models the spikes more nearly duplicate knife blades.

 

My first modern hawk is the SOG model. It is a very well built hawk and a real bargain. Retail is $64.95 but they can be found new for under Fifty dollars on line. I have not used mine for chopping but the blade is honed to a fine cutting edge. The spike is sharp enough to penetrate many layers of clothing and possibly soft body armor. (If you know anyone who wants to donate an out of date piece of armor I would dearly love to have it for such experiments.) As the old song from Fiddler on the Roof goes, “If I were a rich man…” I could afford to buy lots of weapons and test them to destruction but there are two problems. One I am not rich, and two, I hate to abuse any weapon even cheap ones. The SOG hawk has a partial tang, I guess you could say, that extends over three inches into the handle. It is secured by three cross bolts. The overall length is approximately fifteen and one half inches. Ribbing or grooves in the oval shaped handle provide for a better grip when swinging this 24 oz hawk. My overall impression of this hawk is that it is very rugged and will take a fair amount of abuse if necessary. If there is anything negative it is something subliminal, something about the balance, not lengthways, but in the vertical. Perhaps it is because all of my earlier experience with hawks were with those whose heads are not so tall. But this is something that only actual work with or fighting with would prove out. So for the money I do not think you can find a better fighting hawk. What one thing don’t I like? It is made in China.

Here is the official SOG description. “Based on the Vietnam Tomahawk, the Tactical Tomahawk is an extreme evolution of the original which was considered one of the more unusual weapons of its day. Today there is a real need for a versatile tool for breaching operations, excavation, obstacle removal, extraction, and other utility applications. The 420 stainless steel head with Hardcased coating is mounted to the fiberglass reinforced nylon handle with heavy-duty bolts and a steel ferrule for stability. Side hammer checkering insures precise placement when pounding.”

My most recent hawk purchase is this one which is a collaboration between Benchmade and Killian Tactical. It is an absolute brute, made from a single piece of 3/8 inch thick 1095 carbon steel, weighing 38.8 ozs. The first thing that one notices when removing it from its scabbard, besides the weight, is that the blade is not sharp! I knew to expect that from a comment posted on Amazon. Now the response to that was if the edge was more finely honed it would not hold up under the beating it is designed for. I say BULL-CRAP! A hawk is designed to cut not bludgeon and it ought to be sharp when delivered. So why did I buy it anyway, knowing this? Because I ought to be able to put an edge on it and the next closest hawk that I really, really liked was $436! This one retails for $350 but I got mine off Ebay™ from a wholesaler for $175. Now you understand. A little elbow grease should bring out the edge and save me almost $300 bucks. I told you I am not a rich man. The next thing one notices is the additional weight from the massive amount of steel as opposed to the SOG version. The maker refers to this not only as a hawk but as a “breaching tool.” I think that is a fair description and I have no doubts you could make a mess out of even the stoutest wooden door post haste. The handle terminates with a notched prybar that could come in very handy for jimmying doors, drawers, or windows. One of the only things I do not like (other than it being semi-dull) is the sharp corners on the handle where it is not covered by the G-10 scales. Choking up on the handle could be painful unless you are wearing a good set of gloves. But then if you’re busting down doors or breaching walls you will probably be wearing gloves anyway.