Eric A. Sykes
- For Eric Sykes the comedian see Eric Sykes
Born Eric Anthony Schwabe, Eric Anthony Sykes (1883-1945) is most famous for his work with William E. Fairbairn in the development of the eponymous Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife and modern English combatives during World War II. First working with an import/export company selling weapons in Asia, he joined the Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP) volunteer Specials as an inspector in the 1920's.
Reportedly born Eric Anthony Schwabe on February 5, 1883, in Barton on Irwill, he died on May 12, 1945, at Bexhill-on-Sea, England. He reportedly changed his name during World War I because he found it "too Germanic." A shikari hunter, he was an avid rifleman and oversaw a team of civilian snipers as part of the SMP. It was with the SMP that Sykes met Fairbairn, and began their famous professional association. Their 1942 book Shooting to Live is considered by many the classic text of combat pistol, and one of the best codifications of the high-stress point shooting method.
Chronology
- 1883: born Eric Anthony Schwabe February 5, Barton-on-Irwell.
- 1907: First arrives in Shanghai, working for Reiss & Co
- 1919: Met William E. Fairbairn, then with the Shanghai Municipal Police
- 1923: Worked for the China & Japan Trading Co, China representative for Remington and Colt
- 1926: Joined the Shanghai Municipal Police as an officer in the reserve
- 1929: Moved to S.J. David & Co, where he worked until his departure from China
- 1937: Worked part-time for S.J. David & Co, part-time as head of SMP sniper unit
- 1939: Made a captain in the British Secret Intelligence Service, before leaving China
- 1939: Worked with SIS at Special Training Centre in Lochailort, Scotland
- 1942: Shooting to Live published
- 1945: Died on May 12, 1945, at Bexhill-on-Sea, England
Books
Shooting to Live with the One-Hand Gun by Captain William E. Fairbairn and Captain Eric Anthony Sykes. 1942. Reprint ISBN 0-87364-027-6