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Made by Hobson of Lexington Street, London W1. A clean example of a fairly rare sword, this being a Victorian model. Bronze hilt, fish skin grip, wiring slightly a/f; polished steel scabbard, wood liners somewhat shrunk with age; contemporary bullion sword knot, infantry pattern. The blade is engraved with the name H.V.M. De La Fontaine, who was commissioned in 1893 into the East Surrey Regiment, served in the Boer War, was mentioned in despatches twice and slightly wounded, and stayed on as a regular soldier in the Edwardian period acting as AQMG to 1st Corps in 1914. In October 1915, he was transferred to command of the 9th East Surrey Regiment; severely wounded on 3/9/16 in the attack on Ale Alley trench near Delville Wood, for which he was granted the DSO on 1/1/17; resumed command of the 9th battalion on 8/3/17; killed by a sniper on the morning of 5/8/17 at Ypres, near Groenenburg Farm. Copious documentation accompanies this item (extracts from regimental histories, etc). |