This light cavalry sabre was made by John Gill of Birmingham and is unit marked to the 7th (Queens Own) Hussars. The 7th were designated as Hussars in 1807.
The 7th Hussars fought in the Peninsular Wars and at the Battle of Waterloo.
On the 21st December, 1808 the 7th fought at the Battle of Sahagún and again at Benavente on 29th. On the 16th January 1809 they supported Sir John Moore’s retreat from Corunna in Portugal.
Following Britain’s retreat from the Peninsular, the 7th Hussars sailed for England in January 1809 and on the 22nd January were shipwrecked off the Cornish coast losing 104 men with only seven survivors.
After recruiting and re-quipping, the 7th Hussars returned to the Peninsula in August 1813 and distinguished themselves at the Battle of of Orthes in 1814. In 1814 the 7th returned to England to recruit and resupply. In 1815 when Napoleon escaped Elba and reinstated himself as Emperor, the regiment sailed to the Netherlands and fought a rear-guard action at Genappe on the 17th June and made several charges during the Battle of Waterloo the following day, Sunday 18th June 1815.
The 765mm curved blade has a broad single fuller below a flat spine and terminates in a narrow hatchet point. The blade is not quite as front heavy as a true 1796 patten blade but is otherwise very similar in profile. The blade is in very good condition with a service sharpened edge and only a few small contact nicks on the cutting edge and some defensive nicks the spine. The small defensive nicks on the spine are suggestive of combat use. The spine of the blade is stamped with the maker’s name, “I. Gill.”
The brass hilt is of the 1796 pattern with an elongated, beaked pommel. The rear of the quillon is engraved with 7H over E 53. 7th Hussars, E troop, weapon number 53.
The grip is in excellent condition and the contoured wooden grip retains its leather and twisted wire. The blade is firm in the hilt.
The sabre is complete with its brass scabbard with twin suspension rings and ornate shoe. The top of the scabbard is engraved with 7-Hs over E 13. 7th Hussars, E troop, weapon/issue number 13. While the issue number of the scabbard differs from that of the sword, the regiment and troop are the same. It was not uncommon for the regimental armourer to mix and match equipment especially when finding and supplying replacements in times of war. The scabbard is in overall very good condition with numerous very small dings.
This is a rare example of a unit marked cavalry sabre by a top British maker, issued to a trooper in the 7th Queens Own Hussars who saw service during the Peninsular Wars and again at the Battle of Waterloo.
