THE BAYONET.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 3 December 1914, Page 5

THE BAYONET.

Many readers of the war news must nave some time or other speculated as to the origin of the bayonet, that terrible weapon of which so much is being heard in the present campaign. In view of this, a note in the Petit Journal, of Paris, is interesting: "It is to the bayonet, an arm" of French origin, that our infantry has always owed the greater part of its victories.- This weapon takes its name from the town in which it was invented —Bayonne. It was in 1641, during an engagement between Basque peasants and smugglers, that this deadly instrument was discovered. Having used up their ammunition, the Basques hit upon the idea of attaching their knives to the end of their muskets, and using them for repulsing their adversaries. This spontaneous application of a weapon, which was still without definite form, entirely changed the system of military art J£ Europe. The bayonet was used for the first time in France, by. the regiment of King's Fusiliers, i«- 1670- In 1674 and 1675. other regiments wer<s supplied with the weapon. The Dragoons received it in 1G76; the Grenadiers i n 1678. At this time the bayonet entered the tube of the gun, but improvements -were made in 1688. The f j.l bav, onet charge was made in 1703 at the battle of Spire. This weapon suited so well the dash of our soldiers that the Prince of Ligne called it a typical French weapon. It hns played a most brilliant part in the history of our military campaigns '■'