British and Commonwealth Military Knives

[cottage hill bill]

Eye Witness is the mark of Taylor. Taylor made the standard issue knife which had blade, tin opener and spike and possibly the version with blade and opener only. Are there any other marks? Date or /|\? If there are no other marks my guess would be it is post war using left-over wartime parts and sold on the civilian market.

[Alexander2010]

I see no other visible marks. Thanks for the info.

[Alexander2010]

I’m unfamiliar with where the /I\ would be, but I see nothing.

[cottage hill bill]

Normally on the ricasso of the blade. Probably opposite side from the name.

[Rannard]

INDIAN MADE WWII JACKKNIVES, REPLACING A BOLSTER AND FLATTENING A HORN SCALE


I bought a job lot of British Army jackknives. Three were Indian made, from their markings of the 1942/43 period. The British Indian Army was so large and geographically dispersed that many small local contractors were used, rather than a large government factory. All three are noticeably different in their dimensions and it is difficult to identify their marks. India having no shortage of people, artisan manual labour was the order of the day. Machine tools were only used where essential.

Indian made jackknives were serviceable but roughly finished compared to the Sheffield made article. Their scales are horn and were hand chequered after fitting to the body of the knife, before the bale was attached. One can see where the chequering file has scored the ends of the scale rivets. Natural material and hand chequering gives these knives a pleasing and distinctive appearance, rather more attractive than the British moulded black Bexoid plastic (cellulose acetate).

One of these knives has a partially broken tin opener spring and another has such a strong springs one needs a tool to open the blades. This variability casts aspersions on the heat treatment of their spring steel. The blade and marlin spike steel, less demanding of metallurgy expertise, is of satisfactory quality.

The middle of these three knives in the photograph had a bolster missing, a reflection on the finishing, its rivet insufficiently flared for retention. I cut a piece of mild steel roughly to size, shaped the end as a bolster on a bench grinder before cutting the part off. It was then offered up to the knife for fitting and marking for drilling. A new pin was made from a steel nail of the right diameter; the nail point aided its insertion through the sidepieces and blades before being cut off and peened over.

These three knives have embossed copper bales. All but one of my British WWII jackknives have steel bales. My five WWI jackknives have copper bales, one of which is broken. The strength of steel rather than wartime shortage of copper may be the reason for the switch. One can imagine that in the Far East a long time wet lanyard would cause a steel bale to rust and rot the lanyard.

The horn scales of these Indian made knives reminded me of a repair to a Wards 1066 Sheffield pocketknife. A horn scale was lifting and bending away from the knife. The knife was placed in boiling water to soften the horn, then quickly sandwiched between two pieces of wood and clamped tight with a 'G' clamp until cool, resulting in a near perfect repair.




16 February 2022

[Rannard]

H.M. Slater Venture jackknife

This is a knife worth looking at as it is the less common type of British WWII jackknife without a marlinspike and in almost new condition.

The can opener tang is marked with the government property crow's foot, 1943, Venture, H.M. Slater. The main blade is unmarked. The name H. Ferguson has been crudely scored on one of the black plastic scales. The knife spring has HLI, possibly for Highland Light Infantry, scratched on it.

The knife is well put together, one you can open without breaking a fingernail. Some British Army jackknives are so hard to open they must have been a trial to their original users, particularly soldiers in open foxholes, their fingernails softened by wet weather. In the rush to equip an army, it was probably something never considered.

One wonders what an ordinary soldier would have used a marlinspike for, especially as the Enfield Number 4 rifle had a spike (pig sticker) bayonet. I bet a lot of marlinspikes were very little used, just dead weight. The point of the can opener of this knife can poke holes in a can of evaporated milk for the soldier's brew.

Herbert M. Slater Knives (1853) Ltd is still in business.

11 April 2022

[1967redrider]

Very cool.

[Rannard]

WILKINSON SWORD FAIRBAIRN AND SYKES FIGHTING KNIFE

Here is an example of the Fairbairn and Sykes First Pattern Type 3 fighting knife by Wilkinson Sword Co. Ltd. London.

(The Second Pattern has a straight cross guard and no square ricasso, the blade not hand ground - Fighting Knives, Frederick J. Stephens pages 90-93.)

This knife has a nickel plated cross guard and hilt. It has a scabbard with side straps and a nickel silver chape. When bought it had nearly a tenth of an inch of the blade tip missing. I re-ground the tip, restoring the point. Around thirty years ago it cost £25. One would not get much change from £200 for one now. Some militaria has appreciated enormously.

Holding this knife, the grip of generous length, it sits hilt heavy in the hand, not easily dislodged, fingers wrap right round the grip. One can see that Fairbairn and Sykes knew their business.

The FS knife with which my father dropped in Normandy in 1944 was a much cheaper thing, still with the knurled grip but no flat ricasso or etching and finished in black, as I remember with a thinner straight cross guard. Soon after development they were being made by manufacturers all over the country.

Having occasionally cut a finger in my workshop makes me realise that sticking one of these knives into somebody's neck would have been a very messy business, the carotid arteries squirting blood everywhere. One would have to be really psyched up to do it.

It is a remarkable weapon that never runs out of ammunition, always lethal. One has to be extra careful not to drop it, being heavy enough and sharp enough to skewer the foot.

11 April 2022

[Rayco]

Mappin & Webb clasp knife
Hi collectors .
This is my first post so I hope it's found the correct listing area
I recently acquired this 1st WW clasp knife . Ok so not having been WD stamped or dated I'm assuming its an officers private acquisition. Now having this Prestigious makers mark Mappin & Webb I was hoping but not having much luck finding other examples on line. Does any one know of, or have similar in their collections.?

[Ridgegrass]

Rayco: Welcome! Here's a Wostenholme and notice the military stamp on the spike designated for Canada. Your mark is a nice one. Good luck with it. J.O'.

[cottage hill bill]

Rayco - Your knife is a standard British issue Pattern 6353/1905. there was no such thing as an officer's version. Most of the 6353/1905's I've seen that were British issue are unmarked. I have around 50 in my collection. Wostenholm had a large contract with the Canadian government. I'm away from my research material this week but I believe the Wostenholm Canadian contract was for 250,000 knives. All of the Canadian knives I have or have seen were marked on the spike the the C/|\ like the one shown by Ridgegrass.

[Rayco]

Thanks for replies . I'm now more confused.
Why is it Wostenholm mentioned ? I understand that this is a standard First WW British Issue jack knife So are you implying that it's a Wostenholm manufactured item made for and stamped Mappin & Webb or, that it's made under licence by Mappin & Webb for Wostenholm.?

Mappin& Webb were producing their own cutlery, silver ware, pen knives , cut throats ect. So if they obviously were not made under contract for the British government , were they just made to be sold along side their other products hence (Private purchase)

http://www.sheffieldcutlerymap.org.uk/l ... -webb-ltd/

[cottage hill bill]

The person who posted immediately after you posted a picture of a Wostenholm made for the Canadian contract. I was simply contrasting the lack of markings on your British knife to the markings on his Canadian knife. Yours is indeed a Mappin and Webb, his is a Wostenholm. During and well after WWI British officers were required to purchase and provide all of their own equipment including uniforms, sidearms (pistol and sword) and everything else they needed to have. An officers wouldn't have been issued a 6353/1905 (or any other equipment). This requirement was relaxed somewhat later in the war when it became more common from someone to be promoted from the ranks to fill vacancies caused by the huge number of casualties in the officer ranks.

[1967redrider]

WILKINSON SWORD FAIRBAIRN AND SYKES FIGHTING KNIFE

Here is an example of the Fairbairn and Sykes First Pattern Type 3 fighting knife by Wilkinson Sword Co. Ltd. London.

(The Second Pattern has a straight cross guard and no square ricasso, the blade not hand ground - Fighting Knives, Frederick J. Stephens pages 90-93.)

This knife has a nickel plated cross guard and hilt. It has a scabbard with side straps and a nickel silver chape. When bought it had nearly a tenth of an inch of the blade tip missing. I re-ground the tip, restoring the point. Around thirty years ago it cost £25. One would not get much change from £200 for one now. Some militaria has appreciated enormously.

Holding this knife, the grip of generous length, it sits hilt heavy in the hand, not easily dislodged, fingers wrap right round the grip. One can see that Fairbairn and Sykes knew their business.

The FS knife with which my father dropped in Normandy in 1944 was a much cheaper thing, still with the knurled grip but no flat ricasso or etching and finished in black, as I remember with a thinner straight cross guard. Soon after development they were being made by manufacturers all over the country.

Having occasionally cut a finger in my workshop makes me realise that sticking one of these knives into somebody's neck would have been a very messy business, the carotid arteries squirting blood everywhere. One would have to be really psyched up to do it.

It is a remarkable weapon that never runs out of ammunition, always lethal. One has to be extra careful not to drop it, being heavy enough and sharp enough to skewer the foot.

11 April 2022

Very cool, from the makers of the guillotine. They've been cutting men's necks for years.

[Khabirov]

Got one exactly the same as a heirloom from my Grandfather. Yeah the spring is super strong and its quite hard to open the blade specially. Pretty heavy and quite heavy duty stuff. I always thought it was british made before i read your article. It was noticeable as the scales are made of horn and hand checquered as well. I noticed some stamping on the spike but cant really decipher the meaning tho

[Rayco]

An intresting aquisition. IXL George Wostenholm
British Ww2 broad arrow marked Electeicians Knife.More of a tool than a knife really.

[cody6268]

An intresting aquisition. IXL George Wostenholm
British Ww2 broad arrow marked Electeicians Knife.More of a tool than a knife really.

I'm honestly confused why the one-blades were military issues, but the two-bladed ones were civilian. Not very practical with just one blade. Took me ages to find a Wostenholm Wireless Knife, the two-blade civilian version.

[cody6268]

WILKINSON SWORD FAIRBAIRN AND SYKES FIGHTING KNIFE

Here is an example of the Fairbairn and Sykes First Pattern Type 3 fighting knife by Wilkinson Sword Co. Ltd. London.

(The Second Pattern has a straight cross guard and no square ricasso, the blade not hand ground - Fighting Knives, Frederick J. Stephens pages 90-93.)

This knife has a nickel plated cross guard and hilt. It has a scabbard with side straps and a nickel silver chape. When bought it had nearly a tenth of an inch of the blade tip missing. I re-ground the tip, restoring the point. Around thirty years ago it cost £25. One would not get much change from £200 for one now. Some militaria has appreciated enormously.

Holding this knife, the grip of generous length, it sits hilt heavy in the hand, not easily dislodged, fingers wrap right round the grip. One can see that Fairbairn and Sykes knew their business.

The FS knife with which my father dropped in Normandy in 1944 was a much cheaper thing, still with the knurled grip but no flat ricasso or etching and finished in black, as I remember with a thinner straight cross guard. Soon after development they were being made by manufacturers all over the country.

Having occasionally cut a finger in my workshop makes me realise that sticking one of these knives into somebody's neck would have been a very messy business, the carotid arteries squirting blood everywhere. One would have to be really psyched up to do it.

It is a remarkable weapon that never runs out of ammunition, always lethal. One has to be extra careful not to drop it, being heavy enough and sharp enough to skewer the foot.

11 April 2022

My great-great uncle worked in intelligence during WWII and always carried a knife that was either an F/S or a V-42. It was also said that he'd used it "on more than one occasion".

I've been thinking about something similar as a display-only knife, and the F/S is a lot cheaper than the current V-42 replica.

[Checkered past]

Hello all. Back with another recent purchase. A Schatt & Morgan pattern 6353/1905. Bone scales. Canadian broad arrow stamped on the marlin spike. Great looking knife. Worth the 5 hour drive? I say yes

[cottage hill bill]

Well done. The S&M and Camillus are the best looking of the 6353/1905 family in my opinion. Both were made under contract to the Canadian government. Nice find.

[Checkered past]

I agree. Camillus is next on my wish list.

[cottage hill bill]

Here's a pair of mine.

[Checkered past]

Got another that doesn't seem to have too much info. Not sure of the date. Marked Taylor Bros. Hamilton Ont on the blade and Sheffield England on the can opener. No other markings. Has the screwdriver bit on the end like the WWII versions. Same dimensions as well.Seems well made. Good snap to blades. Everything tight.

[Checkered past]

Did some more digging. Looks like Taylor bros closed up in 1922? I did find this on a straight razor website so not sure. Anyone know differently?

[cottage hill bill]

I believe the Taylor mark was carried on past 1922. That style of tin opener didn't show up on the issue knives until 1939 and the bottle opener on that blade didn't make it to the issue knives until late 1944-1945. I suspect it's a post WWII civilian knife.