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I recently included these knives as part of my introductory thread 'The Past Lives of Penknives'. They have come down to me from my great uncles and are as such, apart from being great knives, for me worthy of further discussion. My great uncles Jim and Ron were working class lads from the east end of London and like many others similar spent the majority of there leisure time angling or coarse fishing. Okay, it's at this stage that I should explain, particularly for our American members who may not already be familiar with this terminology, that by 'angling' I mean fishing with rod and line on fresh-water rivers, streams, lakes and canals. By 'coarse' I mean that pertaining to fishing for all freshwater species except trout and salmon; the pursuit of which, in the past, was the domain of the upper classes, who, not given to the consumption of the 'lesser' varieties, were less inclined to fish for them. The derogatory term 'coarse' has, in England, developed to describe not only the fish found less palatable to the tastes of the upper classes but also to the means by which they are caught. Broadly speaking, the salmon and trout are caught with the fly and the rest with the float, the leger and the lure. The working classes, however, have shown less disdain for the variety of fish in the fresh waters of England or the various means by which to catch them. Anyway, getting back to it, Jim and Ron were expert anglers and fished the various freshwater venues in and around London for many years. A particular favourite for them was the North Metropolitan gravel pits in Waltham Abbey, where they had many of their best days fishing together, as well as many of their best catches. My brother and nephew are fishing the 'North Met' on the very day that I write this thread, keeping this particular tradition alive and well. Though they often fished alone, my uncles enjoyed many trips together, not just in the 'big smoke' but around England and Ireland, where, now fishing for trout and salmon, they were to master the arts of fly-fishing as well. The knives shown here were with them on their many adventures and are kept amongst my most treasured possessions; alongside my great granddad's WW1 pocket watch, my granddad's wrist watch and uncle Ron's harmonica, which I was also lucky enough to have inherited. We were very fortunate as youngsters to have had such wonderful grandparents and relatives around us whilst we were growing up, and my great uncles were a big part of that. They joined us at Christmas and on family holidays to Sussex, where I now live, and always made things fun and exciting. They were great role-models and we were truly lucky to have had them. So here's to Jim and Ron.......Good on you lads !
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Uncle Jim by marksawdust123, on Flickr 
Uncle Ron by marksawdust123, on Flickr
I would be interested to know the exact age of these knives and was wondering what the handles/scales were made of: I think one obviously has plastic scales and I think the others are horn or antler but I'm not sure. Also, I think the three bladed knife is a 'stockman' but what would be the correct name for the two bladed one ? Many thanks.
Untitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUncle Jim by marksawdust123, on Flickr Uncle Ron by marksawdust123, on FlickrI would be interested to know the exact age of these knives and was wondering what the handles/scales were made of: I think one obviously has plastic scales and I think the others are horn or antler but I'm not sure. Also, I think the three bladed knife is a 'stockman' but what would be the correct name for the two bladed one ? Many thanks.
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