4d • General discussion
A Piece of Martial Arts History Found in My Dad’s Attic
While cleaning out my dad’s attic, I came across something incredible — an original British Army manual belonging to my Great Uncle Joe called Methods of Unarmed Attack and Defence, issued in June 1917 during WW1.
This wasn’t just a random book… it was an official hand-to-hand combat training manual used to prepare soldiers for close quarters combat during trench warfare.
Inside are illustrated techniques covering:
Striking
Wrestling and grappling
Defences against weapons
Restraints and controls
Close combat drills
Even using a steel helmet as a weapon
What’s really interesting is how familiar some of the movements still look today. You can see early influences of boxing, wrestling, military combatives, and even old jiu-jitsu concepts that would later shape modern self-defence systems.
As someone passionate about martial arts, combat systems, and the history behind them, it’s amazing holding a piece of history like this and realising soldiers were learning structured unarmed combat over 100 years ago.
It makes you appreciate how martial arts continue to evolve, while still being connected to the past.
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A Piece of Martial Arts History Found in My Dad’s Attic
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