Pakistan—Metal Industries Ltd.

This is a No. 9 Mk. I bayonet made by Metal Industries Ltd. in Lahore. M.I.L. produced No. I Mk. II and Mk. III bayonets during World War II, while Lahore was still under Indian jurisdiction. The maker's identity had remained a mystery, because the few examples that had surfaced had only partial maker marks (like this example). Collector-researcher Carl Ziegler (http://www.old-smithy.us) discovered an example with the complete marking, solving this conundrum.

The blade profile is more rounded and the edge less refined than the British No. 9 bayonets. Only a handful of these bayonets have surfaced, so production must have been very low. All known examples are dated 1951.

Pakistan—Pakistan Ordnance Factory

No. 9 Mk. I bayonets were made at the Pakistan Ordnance Factory from 1953 to 1966. The Pakistan Ordinance Factory (POF), Wah Cantonment, Pakistan, produced approximately 35,000 No. 4 rifles. Although not documented, the number of bayonets produced was likely similar. POF No. 9 Mk. I bayonets are very well made, equal to their British cousins in both dimensions and quality.

This is a No 9. Mk. I bayonet made at the Pakistan Ordnance Factory in 1957.

South Africa—ARMSCOR

The South African No. 9 blade profile differs significantly from the British No. 9 Mk. I bayonet. This is a No. 9 bayonet made by Armaments Corporation of South Africa (ARMSCOR), Lyttelton Engineering Works, in Pretoria. ARMSCOR is the State-owned arms manufacturer in South Africa. According to Skennerton, the bayonets were made up in the 1960's using blades salvaged from FN-made Uzi submachine gun bayonets (known in So. Africa as the S1 bayonet). However, it has not been conclusively documented whether old S1 blades were actually used or whether the S1 blade was just copied.

The British No. 5 Mk. I scabbard would not work with the So. African No. 9 blade, so other scabbards were substituted. There was no dedicated South African No. 9 scabbard. The scabbard on this example is from a M1 bayonet. The M1 bayonet was the So. African variant of the Belgian FAL Type A bayonet. By the time the So. Africa No. 9 bayonets were made, the M1 bayonet was being replaced by the R1 bayonet (the So. African variant of the Belgian FAL Type C bayonet). The picture above shows that the M1 scabbard is much longer than necessary for the No. 9 blade.

The S1 scabbard was also used with the No. 9 bayonet. The S1 scabbard is a shorter version of the steel M1 scabbard. The nylon R1 scabbard (pictured below) was also used with the So. Africa No. 9 bayonet.