Weapons Innovations
Together with Eric A. Sykes he developed innovative pistol shooting techniques and handgun specifications for the SMP which were later disseminated through their book Shooting To Live With The One-Hand Gun (1942), along with various other police innovations such as riot batons, armoured vests and other equipment.
He is perhaps best known for designing the famous Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife, or 'Commando' knife, a razor-sharp stilletto-style fighting dagger used by British Special Forces in the Second World War, and featured in his textbook Scientific Self-Defence. Fairbairn also designed the lesser known Smatchet, and collaborated on the design of several other combat knife designs.
Read more about this topic: William E. Fairbairn
Famous quotes containing the words weapons and/or innovations:
“I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.”
—James Russell Lowell (1819–91)
“By such innovations are languages enriched, when the words are adopted by the multitude, and naturalized by custom.”
—Miguel De Cervantes (1547–1616)