P1907 Indian 12-inch Bayonet

Go Back to Knife Bayonet

	Weapon: P1907 Indian 12-inch Bayonet Type: Knife Bayonet Country of Origin: India Year Adopted: 1948 Overall Length (mm): 300.0 Overall Length (in): 11.81 Weight (kg): 0.40 Weight (pounds): 0.88

The P1907 Indian 12-inch bayonet was a shortened variant of the standard British Pattern 1907 bayonet, originally designed for the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) rifle. Produced in India during the late 1940s and 1950s, the design was modified to meet post-World War II needs. Unlike the full-length 17-inch blade of the British P1907, the Indian model featured a 12-inch blade, making it more practical and easier to handle. It retained the general form of the earlier bayonet, with a single-edged blade, fuller, and a steel pommel with a locking mechanism to secure it to the rifle.

Large-scale production of this bayonet took place at the Rifle Factory Ishapore in India, one of the country's main arms manufacturing centers. Tens of thousands were produced during the period of Indian independence and afterward, to supply the Indian Army and other regional forces equipped with SMLE rifles. The shorter design reflected the changing tactical role of the bayonet in mid-20th century warfare, where the long thrusting blades of World War I had become less relevant in modern combat. The 12-inch version was more versatile and better suited for general utility use as well as close-quarters combat.

The P1907 Indian 12-inch bayonet is notable both as a post-colonial adaptation of a British design and as an artifact of India's growing self-sufficiency in arms production after independence. While it never achieved the same notoriety or symbolic status as the long British P1907 of the First World War, it was widely issued and remained in service for many years. Today, surviving examples are valued by collectors of bayonets and military memorabilia, particularly those interested in the transition period of India's armed forces during the mid-20th century.