Original Item: One of a Kind. This is truly neat, this WWI Officer’s private purchase Swagger Stick was owned by a Captain in the ESSEX REGIMENT, who served in the Dardanelles Campaign, also often referred to as the Gallipoli Campaign or Battle of Gallipoli. The officer’s name is carved into the wood of the swagger stick together with the regimental and battle information:
CAPt. W. CARTER ESSEX REGt.
GALLIPOLI
1915
This 11 month long campaign sadly turned out to be an utter disaster, with around 250,000 casualties on either side. It marked a costly defeat for the Allies in WWI, who were forced to abandon their attempt to capture the Dardanelles Strait, which would have secured a supply route for Russia.
This swagger stick was privately purchased and it is very interesting that the Colonel chose to simulate the renowned ZULU KNOBKIERIE WAR CLUB with his bespoke swagger stick. The Zulu war provided the greatest show of heroism in British Army History when 130 men held off 4,000 Zulu Warriors from the river crossing at Rorke’s Drift in 1879. This swagger stick measures 30 1/2″ in length and presents beautifully.
An amazing Officer’s item from World War One, ready to display!