Defendu

Summary

Defendu is a modern form or Close Quarters Combat designed by Eric A. Sykes and William E. Fairbairn. It is considered to be the basis of several modern fighting arts and is thought to be one of the most effective close-quarter battle methods in existence. The system was developed just before World War II and it was initially taught to the officers of the Shanghai Police. Defendu relies on techniques used in jujutsu, boxing, and practical fighting, incorporating many dangerous and deadly moves. Today, these techniques are mainly used by law enforcement agencies, by officers who often encounter dangerous face-to-face situations that need to be resolved quickly, safely and efficiently.

History / Origins

ETYMOLOGY

Defendu is sometimes also referred to as Gutter Fighting, the Fairbairn Fighting System, and the Fairbairn System. Modern forms of this martial art are called Modern Defendo. The word “defendo” comes from Latin and means “to defend, guard, protect, drive away”.⁽¹⁾ The term has first appeared in 1926, in a book written by the creator of the technique, William E. Fairbairn. ⁽²⁾

BEGINNINGS

The beginnings of Defendu can be traced back to 1920s Shanghai. During this period, Shanghai was considered to be the roughest city in the world in terms of fighting crime, mostly due to its large and crowded port. The crime was thriving – murders, drug smuggling, prostitution, and kidnappings were everyday occurrences here. William Edward Fairbairn was a British soldier who had served with the Royal Marine since 1901, where he developed new methods of bayonet fighting. He joined the Shanghai Municipal Police in 1907 after his discharge from Marines and served in one of the city’s dangerous red-light districts controlled by the group of Tong members, famous for their lethal methods. It is said that he engaged in hundreds of street fights during his long career and after one dangerous fight he sought the help of professor Okada, a Japanese jujutsu expert. He later learned the judo techniques in Tokyo and became proficient in Chinese systems. Not long after, he started progressing in his career, as he had shown amazing skill and mastery in close combat – Fairbairn spent all of his free time studying each form of face-to-face combat techniques he could find.

He later trained officers of the Shanghai Police, along with the famous China Marines and the Shanghai Riot Squad, a prototype for modern S.W.A.T. teams. His colleague Eric Anthony Sykes helped him develop numerous techniques and skills of close combat and together they constructed the most famous combat knife in the world.

PRESENT DAY

At the beginning of World War II, Fairbairn was commissioned in the British Commandos to teach them his lethal techniques in a secret location in Scotland. On that occasion, soldiers of the U.S. Army were also included in the training and Fairbairn himself was later transferred to the U.S. to give training to the special agents. He introduced his system at U.S. Camp X and his techniques were mixed with knowledge of several other skilled instructors of various backgrounds. In this process, Defendu, a highly-skilled form of unarmed combat, was born. This set of techniques was later referred to as Defendo in the slang of Allied soldiers. After the demobilization following the victory of the Allied Forces in WWII, many skilled fighters spread throughout the world, spreading the art of Defendu as well. Peacetime forces still use many of these techniques and the same goes for all special units and secret services in the world, including Mossad, MI-6, FBI, as well as various SWAT and Marine forces.

FOLKLORE

It is said that during his early days in Shanghai police Fairbairn was attacked on duty by the infamous Hatchet-men of Chinese Tong. On that occasion, he was severely beaten, heavily injured and left behind to die on the street. Many say that this was an eye-opener for him and a decisive event in the development of his famous techniques.

Fairbairn worked with Eric Sykes for many years and together they developed the famous Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife, a double-edged fighting knife. The said knife resembles a dagger and features a special foil grip. This weapon became famous during the World War II, as it was issued to the SAS, British Commandos and Airborne Forces and was used during the Normandy Landings in 1944.⁽³⁾