Elegant gentleman’s walking stick, late Victorian period, the handle decorated with inlay of mother of pearl and bearing an escutcheon on the pommel, and a South Wales Borderers badge. The press of a button reveals a slim, elegant blade within. The 24th Regiment became the South Wales Borderers in 1879, two years after the Anglo-Zulu War; was this a life-preserver of a veteran of the war in old age? Overall length is 33 ins, blade is 12.5 ins, and bears some decorative blue finish. An unusual and evocative piece.
