Let’s see some theater knives

[kfields]

I love these knives, especially when they can be ID'd to the individual that carried them.
Here is one I purchased several years ago at a flea market in Dayton, Ohio. Funny story...when I first saw it laying on this guys blanket on the ground at the flea market, he had 10 bucks on it. I was staring at it from a standing position taking it all in and noticed that it looked like there was something etched into the blade. I must've taken too long as the seller barked at me "how about 7 dollars, and I'll throw in a screw driver". So yes I bought it. Yes it had the sailors name and serial number etched in the blade. I've since found out this was probably made by the BARTEAUX BROTHERS and is a fairly desirable knife. Later I sent for the sailors records and he served aboard the USS VESTEL during WW2.

 

[kfields]

Story isn't over yet. So I got his records and found out that his home of record is about 5 miles from where I live. All my research on the net suggested that he might still be living. I wrote a letter and sent it to his home of record during WW2 - and got a reply from his caretaker!!!

He had no interest in meeting or getting the knife back but its' a really cool story.

Kim

 

[K.O.D.]

I was 17 when my WWII purple heart vet grandfather died. Unfortunately, I was not a knife knut yet, and with the disaster that was his basement, there very well could have been something like this down there, but I never found one.

He was a survivalist for sure. Grew up on a farm in Iowa during the Great Depression, injured on the Siegfried line in WWII France, January 1945.

As a child, his basement was terrifying due to an industrial incinerator he had down there, among other things. Random WWII stuff I found down there included a dummy mortar round (for practice, did not explode) and a dummy RPG round for the M1 Garand. Very odd that he had these considering that he was injured and nearly killed by shrapnel from a mortar while in the trenches.

I did inherit his 1944 Underwood M1 Carbine though

People in the old days were so creative about fixing things or repurposing things. A good example was my great grandfather. Iowa farmer, he had an old 6 shot .22 revolver for varmints. As a child, my grandfather lost the cylinder retention pin. Rather than buying a new one, which would cost money and take too long, my great-grandfather heated and reshaped a nail into the exact shape of the pin.

Repurposing and repairing things is something I really enjoy, jury rigging etc. Therefore, seeing stuff like this is fascinating to me. People from agrarian backgrounds especially were known for these kinds of things. While I don't think I would spend my limited resources on knives like this, I still love seeing pictures! Keep them coming.

 

[cbach8tw]

I love these knives, especially when they can be ID'd to the individual that carried them.
Here is one I purchased several years ago at a flea market in Dayton, Ohio. Funny story...when I first saw it laying on this guys blanket on the ground at the flea market, he had 10 bucks on it. I was staring at it from a standing position taking it all in and noticed that it looked like there was something etched into the blade. I must've taken too long as the seller barked at me "how about 7 dollars, and I'll throw in a screw driver". So yes I bought it. Yes it had the sailors name and serial number etched in the blade. I've since found out this was probably made by the BARTEAUX BROTHERS and is a fairly desirable knife. Later I sent for the sailors records and he served aboard the USS VESTEL during WW2.

Really cool story, and amazing to be able to track down the original owner. If only the knife could tell where and what it did during the war, amazing things or just everyday monotony. Cool thing is, the one above still looks like it can still work. Although I would be heart broken if I damaged it. Thanks for sharing. Please keep these cool knives coming.

It is also cool how people jerry-rigged or used what they could to fix things, they could not always run to town to get the right parts. Things were saved and not thrown out because they might be re-purposed.

 

[K.O.D.]

kfields I'm not surprised he didn't want to see the knife or meet. Many of the WWII vets I've met or known (family or otherwise) are like many vets, either don't want to think or talk about their time in the service, or love to talk about it. I think both are coping methods. My grandfather was a hero, and I am the only one he told his story to, and that was on his deathbed. That generation especially, it was pretty horrific, and they tried to put it behind them. I think many of the "greatest" generation were of the mindset of "don't talk about your problems/history because it isn't manly."

Nevertheless, I think that both the knife and the story are very cool, and I'm glad you were able to get some history behind the knife. I'm a huge history nerd, especially WWII, as I had family that fought in both theaters.

Guys, please keep them coming. I'd love to see stuff from WWI as well.

 

[kfields]

Here is another antique show and true theater knife pickup about a dozen years ago. In this case, the seller knew the knife was named but didn't appear to add any value to it. On the blade, it is named to 'Harry Adriance Jr', with 'U.S.A.' underneath his name. On the hilt, it is dated 'Jan 15, 1945'. I knew about where Mr. Adriance was from (Pennsylvania) based on info from the seller. I got what little records I could from ST Louis NPRC and discovered he was assigned to Company C, 398th Infantry, 100th Infantry Division. The Division arrived in France in October 1944, and entered into the combat zone in early November. The Division was still in France on the date marked on the knife so maybe that date is when the knife was made. Mr Adriance died , as it turns out, a year or so before I acquired this knife. The blade is 6 1/2 inches long, OAL is 11 inches.

 

[not2sharp]

A few more theater knives....

Here is a cool bowie made from a 1904 US medical bolo

And here is yet another bowie made from a medical bolo...

 

[not2sharp]

Here are a few more strays from the collection.