Hello, I have found this in my garage, from previous owner. It looks like may be a paper knife, but is very sharpe and in military style?
Nor is it a paper knife. It's a sheaf knife/ hunting knife in the style of a highland deer knife but doesn't look well made enough to be one.
You never can tell though. It isn't stainless, which is good. It might polish up real nice. Replace the grips with bone or stag horn and who knows what it might look like?
Sheath knives were pretty standard for Boy Scouts of yesteryear - yep, we used to carry them around on our belts! Always 'be prepared' for a bit of whittling. Still got mine in the garden shed, a great garden tool, mind you, I tend not to carry them around these days.
Tom Lehrer - Be prepared Lyrics (Video) The Private Eye lot had a version with the following words "To deaden the explosion stick yours fingers in your ears and be prepared" (for a nuclear attack)
Do you remember you had to earn your Totin Chip before you could carry it? Here is my knife. I keep it in my car door now. Childhood Toys
Pardon? Also essential for your Backwoodsman Badge: http://2ndgoringandstreatley.org.uk/badge-pdf/S-Backwoodsman.pdf
We had jack knives - one large folding blade and a big spike said to be for removing stone from horses hoove. Never used for this but was useful for making holes in things particularly as drinks cans did not have ring pulls in those days. Found out later that it was actually meant o be used when splicing ropes together and was a folding marlin spike.
Yep, as well as a sheath knife Scouts did indeed use the spike for splicing, tough on fingers if you didn't. Eye splice Back splice Also a long splice for joining two ropes together.
I always preferred 'Spike' Milligan's received Catholic explanation - for separating Boy Scouts from Girl Guides IIRC But, more seriously, you might check out All About Pocket Knives and, in particular re WW2, this "British and Commonwealth Military Knives" thread post illustrating WW2 patterns. The leftmost knife in the 1st photo is incidentally very like my inherited 1940 WD example - note the unusual fixed screwdriver blade at its top end BTW. Mine was oddly not my dad's, from either the Army or HG as I'd assumed, but his dad's in turn who served as a CD fire warden during WW2. Plus its very distinctive can-opener blade is curiously far too big for small-radiused regular cans - thus implying emergency mass catering use as in impromptu soup kitchens &c ? Steve
Army tins were often not intended for single soldiers but were often issued to be shared by a mess - see From Boiled Beef to Chicken Tikka: 500 Years of Feeding the British Army by Janet Macdonald. If memory serves these were big enough for four men. Probably OK if they were the crew of a particular vehicle but less so if someone had to lug it but an extra big tin opener might be needed. My jack knife was also wartime WD but from the RM - probably bought from the local army surplus store when my parents kitted me out for the scouts. Unfortunately somebody nicked it during my student days.
After a closer look at Adam's sadly-fuzzy photos and imagining a trademark stamp near the blade's base, something like a big-eared rodent's head or flying bee, I ran this quick&dirty image search w/o finding an online database as hoped but Adam might fare better with a more accurate idea of the design than the rest of us. Mind you, at this stage I'd not be at all surprised if he were to dismantle the handle, as per Dave's refurb. idea, and find "MADE IN TIMBUKTU" hidden inside by some faker ! PS, just FTR: I changed "trademarks" to "hallmarks" in my aforesaid search - more accurately descriptive of the type of mark I mean but, of course, strongly associated with silverware &c and spotting nothing nearer than a Swiss erect-eared "Rabbit's head" frankly reminding me more of a startled hare !
