Mameluke Sword - British Army

British Army

Mameluke swords were carried as dress or levée swords by officers of most light cavalry and hussar, and some heavy cavalry regiments in the British Army 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 in the French Revolutionary Wars, leading to the adoption of this 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. After he defeated Napoleon his status as a national hero, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, and then prime minister gave his tastes considerable weight.
• The United States Marine Corps sword, discussed above, has been suggested as also being influential. The 1831 Pattern General Officers' Sword is, indeed, very similar to the USMC Mameluke that pre-dated it.