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The following is from two old Randall Knife Society newsletters. If any of you fellows would like to post some of your Randall Springfield pictures here, please do so.
STIDHAM: SPRINGFIELD RANDALLS
The following article is a preview of the type of material that is in Bob Gaddis's book on Randall Knives, "Randall Made Knives, The History of the Man and the Blades". Bob ferreted out this information while doing research for his upcoming book on Randall Knives and was nice enough to provide me with the opportunity to bring this to you. Even Bo Randall had forgotten W. F. Larsen's name. But due to the old Randall records and Bob's generosity I present the following piece on Randall Made, Springfield, Mass. knives. ******
The Randall Springfield is an 8 inch Model No. 1 "All-Purpose Fighting Knife". The same one made famous by Allied combat troops in World War II. But instead of being marked Randall Made, Orlando, Fl., the knife is marked RANDALL MADE, SPFLD. Mass. Most of you know the story about how Lieutenant J. H. Zacharias, U.S. Army, came to BO in June of 1942 with a request for a bowie knife that would have been too big to be practical. Well Bo sat down with Zacharias and they came up with the design which we know today as the Model No. 1. In Bo's order log book, under the date of June 15, 1942 is the following entry: "1 Special made, Swedish steel Jap Sticker for Lt. J.H. Zacharias". This was to become The Knife for the U.S. fighting man in World War II.
Well, it seems that a Mr. W. F. Larsen of Springfield, Mass. had heard about this special Randall knife and came to see Bo about half-way through the year 1943 while he was in Orlando on a business trip. Mr. Larsen had an idea and a proposition to offer. Bo's correspondence file about this wartime project has yet to be found, but with the journal notations to augment his memory Bo and Bob were able to establish the major points of the story about the "Springfield Randalls".
It seems that Mr. Larsen's proposition was to produce a Randall type fighting knife in a Massachusetts factory and he would pay Bo a royalty (50 cents per knife) for the use of his name and basic design. But first Larsen had to get a War Production Board approval, material priorities, and a place to make the knives. Mr. Larsen had in mind the Northampton Cutlery Company (1871-1987) located in Northampton, Mass. This was the same one which had furnished a few carving knife blades, plus forks and steels to Bo before the War started. Most of this company's business was the fabrication of table flatware and carving sets, under contract, for the major silverware companies. With the wartime allocation of metals going to military needs most of this large factory was not in operation. Some of the best forging, grinding and polishing equipment in the knife business was readily available for use, if the necessary governmental approvals and priorities could be obtained. Bo related that "the man seemed to have pull with people in the right places so I was happy to go along with his plan".
Bo showed Larsen the procedures necessary in making the Model No. 1 "All Purpose Fighting Knife", plus furnished a completed knife and a set of unassembled parts. It was suggested by Bo that the Southern Saddlery Company in Chattanooga, Tenn. would be able to supply sheaths for Mr. Larsen. Bo had obtained a few sheaths from them in early 1943, but was presently able to obtain all of his needs from the H. H. Heiser Company, Denver, Colorado and Mr. Clarence Moore. The ones he purchased from Southern Saddlery had been acceptable, but not of Heiser's quality.
W. F. Larsen went back to Massachusetts and proceeded to put his plan into operation by getting part of Northampton Cutlery re-opened, the necessary materials purchased and some skilled workers hired. Some minor design changes were required to adapt the Randall Fighter to Northampton's tooling and Bo was able to answer questions and lend advice during a couple of subsequent visits by Mr. Larsen. It seems that he made regular business trips to Florida at this time.
Knife production started quickly and the first royalty check for 263 knives was sent to Bo the end of October, 1943. Sales were good at first with Bo receiving royalty payments for a total of 623 knives by the end of January, 1944. He also received a few finished Springfield knives, selling at least 22 from his shop in Orlando during the first three months of 1944.
The payments from Mr. Larsen then became more widely spaced, with the last being received on August 13, 1945. Using Bo's journal notes, recorded at the time of occurrence by date, Bob Gaddis accounted for a minimum known quantity of 1,179 Springfield Randalls. He estimates that the production of these knives ran to a total of approximately 1,200.
Bo's last contact with W. F. Larsen was near the end of World War II when he visited in Orlando dressed in an American Red Cross uniform of relatively high status. As a parting gift he gave Bo some gasoline ration coupons which he wouldn't be needing. Bo regrets that he never heard from Mr. Larsen after this and hopes he did not meet with misfortune while serving the Red Cross. There are a few important facts to remember about the Springfield Randalls. While the blades are marked
the knives were actually made in Northampton, Mass., which is actually 20 miles away. Bo recalls that Mr. Larsen's home and business were in Springfield and he had the knives so marked. He also recalls that these knives were sold through dealers, with the majority going to Abercrombie and Fitch.
STIDHAM: SPRINGFIELD RANDALL UPDATE
On November 3, 1994 I had a very interesting conversation with Gary Randall. Packard Larsen, the son of W.F. Larsen, had stopped by to see Gary at the Randall shop.
W.F. Larsen as most of you know is the man that made the Springfield Randalls in 1943 and 1944. Soon after this time "Bo" Randall lost contact with Mr. Larsen and very little is known about him after the war years.
It seems that Packard Larsen was reading the New York Times in December 1989 and read that "Bo" Randall had died. And wasn't this the man his dad had been involved with in WWII and yes the Randall knife shop was still in business.
Then in 1994, Packard Larsen, retired Air Force Colonel and son of W.F. Larsen, while visiting Orlando, stopped to see Gary and left his address and Gary was kind enough to make it possible for Janie and me to visit Pack Larsen in May of this year.
The life of Pack Larsen is an interesting story in itself. A very energetic 70 year old man full of life and very interesting to talk to. He enlisted in service in 1942 and graduated pilot school in 1949, after having crashed out in 1945. He served as a navigator in WWII.
His dad gave him a Springfield Randall, which he carried in WWII and on 111 missions in the Korean War. He also flew an F86 and was in the Vietnam War. On the back of his knife sheath he has written, "Lt. P. Larsen, AO 2089257, 35th FBS, APO 929.
But the main story here, to the Randall collector, is what happened to W.F. Larsen after WWII and who was he? Janie and I visited Mr. and Mrs. Packard Larsen May 18, 1995 and what you are about to read was made possible by the Larsens.
William Frederick Larsen was born on September 15, 1888 in Waupaca, Wisconsin. His father, a barrel maker, immigrated from Denmark in 1860.
W.F. married Elizabeth Packard (a New York Shakespearian actress) in 1915 and she died in 1939. They had three children. He married Edith Clarke in 1941, she having two daughters from a previous marriage.
W.F. was the general agent for Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company in Springfield, Massachusetts and then in 1941 he went into the theatrical supply business. Then when WWII started, movie and photo supplies stopped going to the public and went to the war effort.
In 1943 W.F. Larsen somehow came up with the idea to make knives. In Bob Gaddis's book, "Randall Made Knives: The History of the Man and the Blades", you will find on pages 95-104 a detailed account of his involvement with "Bo" Randall. But Gaddis also states little is known of W.F. Larsen after the war years.
According to Gaddis, there is also some ambiguity about the forging of the Springfield Randall blades. When I asked Packard Larsen about this he offered the following. He remembers that his dad purchased a batch of World War I bayonets from the Springfield Armory. It seems that Russia had ordered several WWI bayonets after WWI and then was unable to receive the order due to a revolution in Russia. These bayonets were then purchased by W.F. Larsen in 1943 and he had them forged into Springfield Randall blades. This information is all very sketchy and recalled from 50 years of memory. Packard did say that one of his sisters would go to Northampton to pick up these blades occasionally. He also remembers his dad assembling some of these knives in the basement of their house in Springfield, Massachusetts. He remembers barrels of leather washers and his dad installing them on the knife handles himself. The knives were final finished in Northampton.
In 1945 W.F. Larsen sold his house in Springfield and moved to Florida. He purchased Gardner's Motel on US I in Delray Beach, Florida. He and Edith ran Larsen's Motel until he died in 1954.
Best regards,
Rhett Stidham
