14/05/2022
SAVATE DAY 40 year, COMMEMORATIVE DAGGER
This is the 40 year commemorative dagger. Some heraldry on the making of this dagger:
Handle: African black wood capping buffalo horn and hippo tooth ivory.
Coach work: aged brass turned to form a pommel, ferrule and guard,
Blade: Damassteel, Odin eye pattern hollow ground and drilled along the spine and the heel.
Heraldry:
The handle is the exact measurements of the 32 Battalion web belt. The buffalo horn is self explanatory, I used hippo ivory for the white details as the hippo has the dubious honor of having the most kills in Africa of any animal.As 32 was known for being the most dangerous unit our enemy could face. The Buffalo and hippo is capped on both sides by African Blavk wood.
The Guard has been engraved by Filip Dias Portugals top engraver and possibly in the top 20 world wide. He too donated his work. He has engraved all of the five dagger’s.
The blade is marked with my logo, Pegasus, (my call sign was Pegasus) as well as a cross representing the 40 years, 10 years for each of the copper pins that are proud of the blade and peened. The upright of the cross represents the 15 32 Battalion soldiers who fell that day. Again the brass pins are proud of the blade and peened over.
There is a presentation case being made by Dave Dwyer (also a chopper driver) out of African rose wood, along with the battalion emblem will be the names of those Brothers who fell that day.
The blade will be auctioned on the 21st, the current hold is R40k. The money will all go to the 32 Battalion VA fund who ultimately look after the families of those who fell.
The map the dagger is on was my map when I flew a mission in support of 32 at Ionde.
Dig deep boys it’s a great cause!👍