Who is W.E. Fairbairn?

William E. Fairbairn

I have already posted two articles on combat knives, both of which reference W.E. Fairbairn. Who was he and why is he so important to the study of close combat? Fairbairn pretty much started the whole thing.

Fairbairn joined the Royal Marines in 1901 and transferred to the Shanghai Police in 1907.

From the end of the Boxer Rebellion to 1940, part of Shanghai was controlled by an international community of Western powers. They were responsible for policing the International Community. Shanghai was a pretty wild place then. What with the illegal opium trade, organized crime and other disturbances, the police had a tough job. Fairbairn found that out when he was nearly beaten to death in the line of duty.

Fairbairn demonstrates chop in Shanghai manual

Fairbairn took up the study of Asian martial arts, specifically Judo, Jujitsu and Chinese Boxing. He became a formidable fighter. Using his knowledge of police work, Fairbairn set about composing a practical system of police combatives. He called the system Defendu. It worked! Police officers were trained in the system. As many of the police were military units rotated into Shanghai by member states of the Community, Fairbairn’s fighting system spread. He taught the Bengal Lancers and 200 US Marines, among others.

Fairbairn demonsrates a capture and hold

In 1940, the Western powers were leaving Shanghai. The war between Japan and China was spilling over. Fairbairn and his partner, E.A. Sykes, went to Britain. There they trained the Home Guard and the Commandos. Fairbairn devised two weapons for the commandos: the Fairbairn-Sykes Combat knife and a heavy weapon called the Smatchet.

Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Dagger

Fairbairn went to the United States to teach the Army and Office of Strategic Services agents. He teamed with Colonel Rex Applegate to develop an unarmed combat, knife fighting and combat pistol shooting program.

Fairbairn demonstrates the neck chop.

In the 1950s, Fairbairn trained the Cyprus police force and the Singapore Police riot squad. He died in 1960 at age 75.

Many of Fairbairn’s techniques are still taught by armies and police forces around the world. You can see several of his methods in every Army Combatives manual from 1954 to 1992. The knife system was heavily influenced by Fairbairn.

The Smatchet

Thanks to his work with Rex Applegate of the OSS, Fairbairn’s influence spread. Agents from many nations were trained by the OSS, and they brought those lessons home after the war. Applegate contributed to the development of Army combatives. Many of Fairbairn’s lessons were incorporated in Army combatives.

Fairbairn shows Point Shooting with Tommy gun

Fairbairn and E.A. Sykes also developed practical combat pistol shooting as well as use of the shotgun and submachine gun. These methods were also taught to the O.S.S., British S.O.E. and the. Army. Fairbairn's shooting methods influenced the techniques taught in subsequent US Army manuals. His methods had been tested and proven in the deadly streets of Shanghai.

Here are a few of Fairbairn’s hand-to-hand tricks from an article on my hobby blog: http://thortrains.blogspot.com/2015/10/classic-hand-to-hand-combat.html

(The fighting techniques are only shown for informational purposes. They are dangerous and can do serious bodily harm, Use them at your own risk, The author takes no responsibility for the consequences of using them. )

Fairbairn's foot stomp and shin scrape, from 1971 US Army manual

Fairbairn wrote several books:

“Get Tough” was published in 1942. It is a course in hand-to-hand combat, knife righting, stick fighting and disarming.  This stuff works! Simple, practical, effective.

“All-in-Fighting” is identical to Get Tough ,with the addition of a bayonet fighting trick and how to aim the Enfield rifle. This version was written for distribution in Britain.

“Hands Off’ was Fairbairn’s book of self defense for women.

“Scientific Self Defense” was first published in 1931. It contains methods used by the police as well as stick fighting methods..

“Shanghai Municipal Police Self Defense” was written in 1913 and shows several basic defenses and arresting techniques. ( Click here for PDF copy - http://www.thortrains.net/downloads/shanghai-police-sd.pdf )

“Shooting to Live” is Fairbairn’s course on combat pistol craft.

Since Paladin Press, the current publisher of these books has gone out of business, many can be found online in PDF format.

The Ordnance Soldier’s guide is a World War II manual that shows a variety of soldiering skills, A nice overview for the World War II fan. The section on “Commando Combat” is drawn from Fairbairn’s book, “Get Tough!” Download it here: http://www.thortrains.net/milihistriot/ord-soldiers-guide-merged.pdf

Applegate's Kill or Get Killed illustrates several of Fairbairn's unarmed techniques as well as knife combat and combat point shooting. https://ia800308.us.archive.org/25/items/milmanual-fmfrp-12-80-kill-or-get-killed/fmfrp_12-80_kill_or_get_killed.pdf

Here are films of Fairbairn instructing troops:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWSLXXdg9Bw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkvHoOH9I3w

Feel free to check out the other articles on this blog.

The Fairbairn / Sykes Commando Knife

The Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Knife

This article is posted for informational use only. The techniques shown can be dangerous. Use them at your own risk. The author takes no responsibility for your use or misuse of this information.

W. E Fairbairn made a name for himself at the Shanghai Municipal Police. He devised a practical system of hand-to-hand combat that was easy to learn, easy to use and very effective. He called his method Defendu. In 1940, Western powers left Shanghai. Fairbairn used his experience to teach the British Home Guard. He then taught the British Commandos and the American O.S.S.

A Version of the F.S. Commando Knife

Fairbairn and his partner, E.A. Sykes, developed a combat knife for the commandos. It was a simple dagger with a foil-type handle. The knife was light and easy to handle. This was primarily a thrusting weapon, though students were also taught a few basic slashes.

Daggers have been around since the days of the ancient Egyptians. They are double edged knives, usually triangular in shape. Daggers are strictly a combat weapon. They have little use as camp or field knives.

Fairbairn was sent to America, where he began teaching the Army and the O.S.S. Here he partnered with Colonel Rex Applegate. Fairbairn shared his experience in hand-to-hand combat, knife and stick fighting, and combat pistol craft. With Applegate, he further refined his techniques.
Rex Applegate taught the Fairbairn-based method ever after. His last book, Combat Use of the Double-Edged Fighting Knife was printed in 1993.

The commando knife went through several variations, some better than others. Manufacture was done by several companies. The best examples came from Sheffield, England.

The technique for using the Fairbairn-Sykes dagger was mostly a series of strikes. It was held like a fencing foil. Fairbairn outlines several strikes in his books “Get Tough” and “All-in-Fighting”. Similar instruction was included in Applegate’s work. In the 1971 version of Army Field Manual 21-150 Combatives, the Fairbairn-Applegate training is given right down to holding a bayonet or combat knife.

W.E. Fairbairn in knife-fighting stance

The original commando knives had their weaknesses. The blade could break at the hilt and the point could snap off. Of course, it all depended on the particular manufacturer. Not all knives were equal.

Commando knives were copied by the US Marine Raiders and the First US / Canadian Special Forces (Devil’s Brigade). There are other variations of the Fairbairn-Sykes knife. Various nuances of handle type, place of manufacture, etc., are popular with collectors of this particular weapon.

Here is the proper grip

Here is the stance advocated by Applegate and Fairbairn

Rex Applegate in stance

Fairbairn/Applegate stance (left)

The method was right for dagger and thrusting blades. It was taught by the Army and Marine Corps for the bayonet / combat knife from the M3 Trench knife and bayonets up to the M7. (See my article on the M3 Combat knife)*

A copy of Applegate’s instructions were included with custom knives by Randall.

Here is a video of a veteran of the Commandos explaining use of the knife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=uDGHKyB3T_U

You can download a copy of the last edition of Applegate’s “Kill or Be killed” here: https://ia800308.us.archive.org/25/items/milmanual-fmfrp-12-80-kill-or-get-killed/fmfrp_12-80_kill_or_get_killed.pdf

Copies of Fairbairn's "Get Tough" can be downloaded from various places on the Internet.

*My previous article on the Mk III Trench knife: http://thorsmanstuff.blogspot.com/2018/04/classic-combat-knives-mk-iii-trench.html

Toy commando with dagger by Airfix

**********

I have been fascinated with military close combat systems for some time. Most interesting are those developed from 1939 to 1955. I had a copy of the Combatives manual used b ythe Army at the time I was there. I took Charles Nelson’s self defense course, which was actually a course in the O’Neill system as taught in Shanghai  prior to `1940. That led me to the works of Fairbairn & Sykes, Colonel Rex Applegate, A. J. D. Biddle, John Styers, and others. The history of it is intriguing and the methods are surprisingly effective.

Unfortunately, health problems have curtailed my actual participation in these things.

***********

If you enjoyed this article, check out some of the other articles on this blog.

Classic Combat Knives: The Mk III Trench Knife

Author holding M3 Trench Knife in modified Applegate grip

The close-quarter trench fighting of World War I brought the combat knife back into prominence among a soldier’s weapons.  The immediate answer were trench knives equipped with heavy knuckle guards. These combined the striking power of brass knuckles with the stabbing force of a dagger. Some had triangular thrusting blades. Others were equipped with a double-edged dagger blade. They were good for the close quarters of a trench brawl, but little else.

Between the wars, both the Army and Marine Corps sought a reliable combat knife. The most immediate response was the bayonet, whic h coud lalso serve as a knife. The bayonet of World War II was a cut-down M1907 bayonet. It was made of good steel and was a manageable size. However, both services needed a knife for those not equipped with an M1 rifle.

The Army came up with the M3 trench knife. It had a single blade wit ha thick spine and false edge. The handle was made of tightly-compressed leather washers. It had a small crossguard to prevent the hand from running up onto the blade when thrusting. The M3 blade was later used on rifle bayonets from the M1 to M7 models. (The M1 rifle, M1 carbine, M14 rifle and M16).

M3 Trench Knife

The M3 was mostly a thrusting weapon. It could punch through heavy clothing. It was not a very good camp knife. The M3 Trench Knives were sharpened.

The M3 blade in bayonets was replaced by a Bowie-type blade in the 1990s. It is more practical as a camp knife. Remaining M7s were sold to allies using the M16 or put on the civilian market for collectors. A few knife manufacturers still sell M3s and the M7 Bayonets, mostly for collectors.

*********

The M3 style blade fit the style of knife fighting devised by Col. Rex Applegate for the O.S.S.  Applegate claimed that his staff examined many styles of knife fighting. You can see the influence of W.E. Fairbairn in his work. As late as 1992, Applegate’s method was still taught to the US Army.  Even the grip is right out of Applegate’s work.

Apprlegate grip, from 1971 Army manual Combatives FM 21-150

Applegate Stance, from Army FM 21-150 (1971)

Applegate stance, from 19992 Army Combatives manual

*************
My experience with this style blade is mostly via the M7 bayonet. These blades were not sharpened. In fact ,we were forbidden to sharpen them. I remember one occasion where we were probing in wet sand. A couple of times, we had to remove a “land mine.” (This was training.) The edges of the blades curled ever so much. The steel was too soft. That is a problem with the M7 and other military knives made in massive numbers.. They are tempered in batches. Quality of the tempering varies, so that one may encounter examples that are too soft or too brittle. Keep in mind that these knives / bayonets are also made by a variety of manufacturers. Quality control and methods may vary from one plant to another.

**************

M3 Trench Knife, M7 Bayonet, Modern version of M3

Pictured here: M3 Trench knife, M7 Bayonet, modern knife based on the M3. The leather-ring handle offers a secure grip. All three have pommels that keep the hand from slipping off. *

*You cannot count on ideal conditions when working with a knife. Wet hands, thick gloves and other things can make adversely affect your grip. That is why I like a pommel that keeps my hand from slipping off the end.

A crossguard’s main purpose is to keep your hand from sliding onto the blade. Thrusting and pushing are best avoided on knives that have no guard. One group who often run afoul of their own knives are criminals. Many a criminal leaves his blood on the blade. Finger-grips are no substitute for the safety of a crossguard.