J. M. (John Musgrave) Waite

Remembered as a Victorian fencing master, he served as a non-commissioned officer in the British 2nd Life Guards and built a strong reputation for teaching sabre, singlestick, small-sword, and foil. Sources available here describe him as active and influential in the later 19th century, with a notable following during the 1860s and 1870s.

He is best known in libraries today for Lessons in Sabre, Singlestick, Sabre & Bayonet, and Sword Feats (1880), a practical manual that reflects both military discipline and a teacher's eye for clear demonstration. Project Gutenberg also lists his works, showing that his writing has continued to circulate long after his death in 1884.

For audiobook listeners, his appeal is less about literary flourish than about direct, hands-on expertise. His work offers a vivid glimpse of how weapons training, physical culture, and instruction were presented in late Victorian Britain.