Code: CA4
For several generations of British soldiers who served on the North West frontier of India, this is the weapon which represented all that they hated most in the Widow's service. It was the harbinger of swift and dirty death in the endless skirmishing which characterized the tortured frontier of Afghanistan. Khybers, also called “Salawars” are often found among the effects of English martial families, some of whom served the Raj and returned with them as souvenirs from encounters with the fearsome Pathans.
This is a good Khyber Salawar with solid construction and still tight, circa 1850-1880. Almost identical to the one displayed in the Gurkha museum in Winchester. The Khyber has horn grips and iron fore grips. One ear of the horn grips has been damaged and the tip is missing, minor damage to the other side, at the tip. A 20 " slashing Tee backed butchers blade bears the marks of battle.
Four holes drilled in the blade are possibly witness to the owners tally of severed British carotid arteries. A general patina of age to the blade testifies to 150 years of history.
