Original U.S. WWII USMC Identified Marine Raider Stiletto Dagger with M6 Sheath & Packet of National Archives Research - Henry E. Boyd, 1st Raider Battalion - Wounded on Guam

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is an outstanding identified & service-used example of the rare Marine Raider Stiletto dagger with a heavily worn M6 sheath. Due to the heavy cleaning on the blade, any maker’s marking is now gone, but it is likely that this was a Camillus produced example. Camillus produced the USMC Raider's Stiletto in 1942 and a total of 14,370 knives were made. The design was heavily influenced by the British Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife issued to Commando Units. The United States Marine Raider stiletto was issued to the Marine Raiders and 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion during World War II.

This example is identified to Platoon Sergeant Henry Edsel Boyd, 1st Raider Battalion and later the 4th Marines, who saw heavy combat in New Georgia and then in Guam, where he received a gunshot wound in his thigh on July 25th, 1944. The knife’s hilt shows heavy cracking, which happens often on these knives from service use. The handle has three separate braided rope knots secured in place, which may have been done in order to prevent the handle from cracking further and breaking.

At the start of World War II, the Mark I Trench Knife was the only knife issued to Marines. It was introduced during World War I for trench warfare, but its "knuckle duster" hilt was cumbersome and contained nearly 1 pound (0.45 kg) of brass, making the knife expensive to produce. In addition, the Mark I could not be held in the "fencing-grip" position, the preferred position for the thrust. The Marine Corps began issuing the KA-BAR, a combination fighting/utility knife, in 1942 due to the inadequacies of the Mark I. The Marine Raiders, however, desired a dagger designed solely for knife fighting, but none was available that met the requirements.

The knife features a cast zinc handle, and originally bore the USMC scroll and Camillus maker's markings etched on the blade. This example saw service, which unfortunately quickly wore away etched markings, and there are no traces of what may have been there. 

The zinc handle shows heavy cracking, especially along the edge of the checkering, with very heavy cracking at the crossguard. Thankfully the three braided knots are keeping the handle portion in place and from breaking. The blade measures about 6 7/8” with an overall length of 12”. These knives were issued to both Marine Raiders and Paramarines.

The M6 sheath is extremely worn but all 10 of the staples are retained, though they are now very loose from cracking and should be handled with extreme caution. There is heavy crazing and cracking across the sheath with some tearing at the throat. The securing strap and snap are entirely gone. There is also no metal plate and doesn’t look to have ever been there. The leather thong is retained and looks original to the knife. The belt hook is still well-retained. The body of the sheath is carved with the initials H.E.B. next to 1ST MARI. RAIDERS / U.S.M.C.. This is a fantastic set that has certainly always been together.

The group comes with an outstanding packet of over 50+ pages of printed research from the National Archives, an outstanding amount of information on Boyd’s entire service history which would take hours to read through entirely!

Henry Edsel Boyd was born on December 5th, 1921 in Anniston, Alabama. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on March 20th, 1942 in Los Angeles, California. He was assigned to the 1st Raider Battalion and fought at New Georgia Island from the period of July 4th, 1943 to August 29th, 1943. Following this he joined the 4th Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division, with whom he fought in Guam, where he received a gunshot wound in his thigh on July 25th, 1944. He was discharged on March 20th, 1946 and awarded the Marine Good Conduct Medal and the Purple Heart Medal. His separation shows he was part of a light machine gun crew.

An outstanding identified Marine Raider stiletto, ready for further research and display.