Sword Bayonet, Pattern 1907, Mark I. : recovered from Bullecourt

Generally intact, but heavily corroded Pattern 07 bayonet with a straight cross guard and clearance hole in the pommel. Only a small fragment of wood from the grips remains on the left side.

Standard issue Pattern 07 bayonet found near the French village of Bullecourt. In April and May 1917, Bullecourt was the scene of fierce fighting as Australian troops attacked the German Hindenburg Line. Consisting of deep trenches, dugouts and pillboxes, protected by wide belts of barbed-wire and cleverly sited machine-guns, the Hindenburg Line was a formidable defensive system. By the end of the Second Battle of Bullecourt in mid-May, the Australians had lost 10,000 men killed, wounded, missing or taken prisoner. These were losses from which the AIF never fully recovered.