Can anybody shed any light on this as to the correct name and how old it is? Had it years never occurred to me to try and find out about until today. Tim
Hi, To me it looks like a barbed wire pole/picket/anchor post as used in wwI (also known as "pig tails"). The bottom of the pole acts like a cork screw to be able to silently and swiftly put the poles in the ground near enemy positions. I think all armies used them, I don't know who introduced them. Take a look at the bottom of this page: Battle Remains on the WW1 Western Front or here: photograph of Picket posts Cheers, Jakke
Can only think its something that held barbed wire up/in place? Should have said I know it is a Silent picket for barb wire I just wounder how old is was really ie if it was ww2 vintage.
Notes for Infantry Officers on Trench Warfare UK 1916 Training Pamphlet 21 - Dannert Concertina Wire Obstacles (Provisional) - Canada - 1939 The use of 'Screw Pickets' Training Pamphlet 21A - Construction of Dannert Concertina Wire Obstacle With Angle-iron Pickets - Canada - 1941
I have not seen specific reference to screw (or silent) pickets before 1916. However that could just reflect my lack of seeing many pre-1916 field engineering manuals. As posted, they are certainly referred to in manuals from both world wars and were probably in use well after the second. Manufacture seems to have been done by civilian contractors, photos and film of small engineering works mass producing them are fairly common. I have seen a number and all vary in small details (how closed the loops are, how the point is made) whilst being broadly of the same pattern. There was no great difference between those with a First World War provenance to those from the Second. Do you know where yours is from? Keith
The answer it would appear as to entry into service is given in - The history of the Great War by Brigadier General Sir James Edmonds RE Retd. It is suggested 1915 -have not found an accessible copy on line to confirm that - yet!
Thanks every body for the posts. I have a few of them, they came from a little bit of land I used to own in Suffolk which in near Army and RAF bases used before after and During the war.
I've seen these on the inner fence line at Leeming, perhaps they worked so well that the design went unchanged from 1915.
Does anyone know where to buy screw pickets ? Was wondering where to get them from , thought a couple of them might look nice in the garden. Suppose I could pop over to France or Belgium & steal some from a farmer's field.
Some here WW1 Barbed wire picket From the Somme Region of Northern France | eBay WW1 Barbed Wire Fence Pickets (Stockist) Kyle
Found this on gumtree. Not paying 30 quid. World War 1 German Barbed Wire Picket | in Sheffield, South Yorkshire | Gumtree
Question from my son. Were screw pickets used on the Eastern Front in WW2 ? Haven't seen any photos of them.
Because of the rather primitive conditions and the poor supply infrastructure, barbed wire entanglements were usually built with material that could be found on site. The picture is from the Stalin Line - and these installations were among the best built.
These screw posts were made by our family business Crown Iron Works in Minneapolis, MN. We made them for WW1, WW2 and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Over 10 million of these screw posts were made. I have started scanning in old photographs and digitizing old films of these posts being made. I has been fun to see so many posts about these barbed wire screw posts online. I just saw one featured on the new show Pirate Gold. Such a simple device but was very effective. I have letters from the U.S. Secretary of War office in WW2 sent to my grandfather expressing how effective they were at getting the "Japs". - David
Cant keep a good idea that works down. 21st Century version for tethering your dog to stop him wandering off , when out camping. Used in my garden to anchor the hedgehog hibernation box down to prevent the foxes taking it away. Put a bar through the loops & tighten them down.