British, 1932, 1912 Pattern Cavalry Officer’s Sword & Field Service Scabbard by Wilkinson, Named to J.C. Le Mee-Power, Indian Army & Royal Tank Regiment, (Based on the 1908 Trooper’s Pattern)

*British, 1932, 1912 Pattern Cavalry Officer’s Sword & Field Service Scabbard by Wilkinson, Named to J.C. Le Mee-Power, Indian Army & Royal Tank Regiment, (Based on the 1908 Trooper’s Pattern)*

Measurements: Blade 88.5 cm, overall 106.5 cm.

A fine and fully documented officer’s sword — the last true fighting pattern of the British cavalry. This 1912 Pattern Cavalry Officer’s Sword was manufactured by Wilkinson Sword Company, London, serial numbered 63078 on the blade spine.

Wilkinson ledger entry no. 63078 records this sword as: ‘9th February 1932 – G.R.J. (Cav.) – Sold to J.C. Le Mee-Power, Indian Army, Ref. 2L 734.’ The initials -G.R.J. (Cav.)- are Wilkinson’s code for a regulation cavalry officer’s sword.

The straight thrusting blade is etched with scrolling foliate decoration, the crowned Royal Arms, Wilkinson’s proof panel with inset star, the GRV cypher of King George V, and the crest of a stag’s head flanked by oak sprays above the motto ‘Spectemur Agendo’ (‘Let us be judged by our actions’). While this motto is associated with several military families and notably with the Royal Dragoons, it does not appear in surviving heraldic records for the Le Mee-Power family, suggesting it was selected by the officer on commissioning. The spine is etched “Made in England.” 

The hilt features the large nickel-plated bowl guard with engraved GRV cypher, chequered fishskin grip bound with twisted silver wire, and a chequered pommel with foliate decoration. The original brown leather acorn sword knot remains attached.

The sword is housed in its correct field service scabbard, leather over wood with plated throat and drag stamped Wilkinson Sword Company London, retaining its original leather frog strap.

History Note:
The 1912 Pattern Cavalry Officer’s Sword was the private-purchase equivalent of the 1908 Trooper’s pattern, optimised for the thrust and widely considered the most effective cavalry sword ever designed. Officers continued to carry it in both dress and field scabbards throughout the interwar period.

This example is directly linked by Wilkinson’s proof ledger to 2nd Lieutenant J.C. Le Mee-Power, Indian Army, who purchased it new in February 1932. His commission is confirmed in the British Army List of November 1932. During the Second World War, Le Mee-Power transferred into the Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, receiving a Regular Army Emergency Commission. The British Army List of April 1941 records him as 2nd Lieutenant (seniority 19th January 1941), later promoted War Substantive Lieutenant on 18th August 1941. The Le Mee-Power family produced several officers across the services, including wartime RAF and artillery officers, with records linking the family to Warwickshire and Anglo-Irish roots.

This sword therefore represents a rare continuity: an officer who began his career in the mounted cavalry tradition of the Indian Army and later served in the mechanised Royal Tank Regiment during World War II. Such fully documented examples, with clear provenance to a named officer, particularly those with Indian Army provenance, where cavalry traditions survived well into the 1930s, are very rare.

*Condition*
The blade remains in very good condition with crisp etching, showing only light age-darkening and peppering, no distortions or sharpening. The nickel-plated guard is bright with a clear George V cypher; the fishskin grip and wire binding are tight and intact. The chequered pommel is sharp with clear foliate detailing. The field service scabbard is complete, with secure stitching, plating to throat and drag intact, and only light scuffing consistent with use. The original leather sword knot survives, aged but sound. Overall, a clean and complete officer’s sword with excellent provenance. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.

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