Pooley Sword
 | |
| Manufacture | |
| Industry | Sword manufacture |
| Founded | November 2005 |
| Headquarters | Shoreham Airport, Shoreham-by-Sea, England |
Key people | Robert Pooley, Jane Ventris, Jane Sheridan |
| Website | http://pooleysword.com/ |
Pooley Sword are a traditional cutler and provider of swords, dirks, and lances to the British armed forces and also to many Commonwealth and other overseas defence forces. Following the August 2005 closure of Wilkinson Sword's Acton works, Robert Pooley MBE, who had been commissioning swords from Wilkinson’s since 1964, purchased many of their drawings, product records, spares, and much of their tooling, including both heavy and light machinery, some dating back to the late 1800s.
Sheffield workshops
Fundamental processes, including casting and blade manufacture, take place at the Sheffield Workshops. Blanks are cut from hardened- and tempered sheet steel, then ground to shape. Fullering of the blade is then followed by polishing. The craft of working precious metals is carried out in London as well as in Sheffield.
Shoreham workshops
Craftsmen further polish, silk screen, and acid-etch the blades to traditional standards. Chasing and coin-metal plating are performed at this stage. Strike- and bend testing are followed by several stages of inspection before the sword is despatched to its new owner. The process typically requires six- to eight weeks.
Historical Services
An engineering team led by Head Cutler Peter Harmsworth, ex of Wilkinson Sword, offers refurbishment services on military- and antique swords, dirks, and lances of historical- or sentimental value.
Sword of Honour
Swords of Honour are awarded by a number of military colleges and -academies to the outstanding cadet of his- or her class. Having formerly been provided by Wilkinson Sword, Swords of Honour currently provided by Pooley Sword include:
- The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
- The Duke of Westminster’s Sword – Army Reserves
- Royal Air Force College Cranwell
- Britannia Royal Naval College – The Queens Sword
- Commando Training Centre Royal Marines
- Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College
- Royal Military Academy Duntroon – Australia
- Royal Australian Naval College – HMAS Creswell
- Royal Military College Saint-Jean – Canada
- Royal New Zealand Air Force College
- New Zealand Army College
- Royal New Zealand Navy College
Materials
Materials used in sword production must meet or exceed MOD specification. Blades are made from high carbon steel. The guards and back plates are made from forged mild steel and hand embellished before nickel-plating. The guards for the RAF and Royal Navy Swords are cast in brass, chased and then gold-plated.
Grips historically made of shark skin are now made with that of rays, related fish species under lesser threat. The Brown Leather Service Scabbards are hand stitched pig skin.
Bespoke Swords
While ceremonial swords are typically crafted to long-standing MOD- or regimental specification, a library of historic design elements, including military drawings, patterns and badges of regiments throughout the Commonwealth has been compiled by design technician Adam Cook. Pooley Sword services private clients, incorporating family crests, mottos, or novel blade designs such as Arabic swords and English Mamelukes. Pooley also create bespoke presentation swords for overseas national- and military commemorations.