British Pattern 1897 Infantry Officer's Sword and Scabbard : Lieutenant C. T. M. Heath, 5 Field Artillery Brigade, AIF

British Pattern 1897 Infantry Officer sword and scabbard. The hilt has a nickel plated three quarter 'scroll' pattern pierced sheet steel guard with the GVR royal cypher and is stamped C.M.F 2nd M.D 649. The grip is wire bound black fishskin. The straight blade is etched half way on both sides with a foliage design having the royal coat of arms on the centre right and the royal cypher of George V on the centre left. A panel on the right is engraved Lieut Charles T. McI. Heath 5 F.A.B. A.I.F. Sept. 26th 1917. There is a single fuller on each side for half of the length. The ricasso is etched with the interlocking triangle symbol on the right and ROBt MOLE & SONS MAKERS BIRMINGHAM over an arrow within a D on the left. A buff leather washer is attached to the blade where it meets the hilt and the back edge has a Birmingham proof mark and M5869. The scabbard is wood but most of the leather covering is missing. There is a single loose hanger ring on a nickel plated band three inches from the throat. A broken leather sword knot is wrapped around the grip.

Second Lieutenant Charles Thomas McIntosh Heath was killed in action on 26 September 1917 and his brother had the sword engraved for his memory. Originally the sword was issued to the Citizen Military Force in the Second Military District (New South Wales).