National Army Museum

sword, officer , sword, officer

Accession Number

NAM.1957-03-33-1

Description

Officer’s sword, Irish Guards; blade of dumbbell section and engraved with a brass flaming grenade, an elephant, a tiger, the regimental title, battle honours, the Godley family crest of a unicorn’s head, the owner’s initials and the maker’s name, Thurkle; the guard is from a rifle regiment pattern with the star badge of the Irish Guards in cartouche; leather sword knot; a label with the weapon explains that it was carried by Gen Sir Alexander Godley GCB KCMG, and that the blade is of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, which Godley joined in 1886, after leaving the Royal Military College; in 1900 the hilt was changed and bears the crest of the Irish Guards, which he joined that year; Godley then went on to become Commander in Chief British Army of the Rhine 1922-1924 and Governor and Commander in Chief of Gibraltar 1928-1933.

Campaigns

World War One (1914-1918)

Units

Irish Guards

Royal Dublin Fusiliers

People

Godley, Sir Alexander John

Thurkle, Edward

Inscriptions

Engraved on the blade; ‘Plassey Buxar’. Labelled; ‘This sword belonged to General Sir Alexander Godley GCB KCMG (1867-1957). It bears on the blade the crest of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers which he joined after leaving the RMC in 1886. He tranferred to the Irish Guards when they were raised in 1900. The hilt was then changed and bears the crest of the Irish Guards. C in C British Army of the Rhine 1922-24, Governor and C in C Gibraltar 1928-33’.