Image Not Available

Naval Officers Sword belonging to Eric Beeham

Maker Henry Wilkinson

Subject or historical figure Eric Bolton Beeham (Australian, born 1917)

Datec 1850

Object number00036873

NameSword

MediumBrass, metal, cord, shagreen

DimensionsOverall: 970 x 110 x 80 mm, 1.18 kg

ClassificationsArmament

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Elaine Beeham

Terms

DescriptionThis naval officer's sword, thought to have been manufactured in England around 1850, belonged to merchant mariner and naval officer Eric Beeham. It is unlikely that he used this weapon for service.HistoryThe naval officer's sword symbolises the pomp of naval officers' dress and are an important ceremonial aspect of naval life. By the mid-nineteenth century, cutlers and manufacturers were active in many English industrial centres, notably Birmingham. The weapons were designed exclusively for use at sea and developed in the late eighteenth century, with the Royal Navy producing the first regulation sword pattern in 1905. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century, these regulations were regularly revised. Officers usually carried swords when landed, and many preferred to maintain two swords: one for ceremonial use, and one for combat. By the early twentieth-century, swords were seldom used during boarding action, but were retained for ceremonial and presentation use. It is unclear how Beeham came across this sword, as it is thought to have been manufactured about 1850. We know that Beeham had an interest in all things maritime, and he probably acquired this sword as an antique collectors item. The extensive career of Captain Eric Beeham spans the period from 1936 to 1982, during which there was a great deal of change in the Australian commercial and industrial shipping industries. Beeham first went to sea as a cadet with P&O working on RMS MALOJA and RMS STRATHNAVER in 1936. During World War II Beeham worked on troopships and minesweepers and commanded the patrol boat HMAS NEROUS amongst others. After the war he worked for a number of different shipping companies including Australian & Oriental Line, later becoming a pilot for the Maritime Services Board in NSW.SignificanceThis sword is part of an extensive collection relating to the career of merchant mariner and naval officer Eric Beeham. The collection provides a comprehensive record of Beeham's career, and shows the culture of merchant mariners in the material Beeham chose to keep and the items he took to sea.