While many bayonets were issued during the First World War, one of the more brutal ones is the S98/05, nicknamed the “Sawtooth” or “Sawback” because of its serrated side. Two versions of this bayonet were created: one with the serrated backside and one without. The Sawtooth was designed as a tool to clear brush and barbed wire, characteristics of no-man’s land in the First World War.
The wounds created by the serrated side were so violent that British and French soldiers would execute any German soldier found with a Sawtooth on them. This led to the eventual recall of this bayonet by the German military, who filed the teeth down before reissuing them.
Come visit the Royal Newfoundland Regiment Museum to see the Sawtooth brought home by Captain Eric Chafe. You can find it in the front case, in our temporary exhibit on Captain Chafe.
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