‘Interesting’ knife from car boot sale

[robrinay]

I bought this knife cheap at a car boot sale a few years ago. I believe it to be a survival knife from either WW1 or WW2. Sadly the sheath was missing. Am I correct in my assumption and would the sheath have been metal or part metal with a protruding lug and flat bar to convert the knife blade into a wire cutter. The makers mark shows it to have been made by Wadkins Leicester who made and still make industrial woodworking machinery - not cutlery. Im guessing their war effort included the manufacture of these knives? I emailed them but as with many Companies theyve been bought out in recent times and do not have an archive of items made historically.

[sundance]

Can you show a picture of the maker's mark? Good looking knife.

[Blacksmith]

Sort of had a theater-made feel to me. Handle looks like stacked bakelite or something similar - even in a couple of familiar colors.

 

I could be all wrong, but maybe had a different kind of handle to start.

 

Good luck in your research.

[TheMariner]

Appear without a doubt to be a theater made knife from the WW2 era, would not have been in a metal sheath with wire cutter, those are only seen usually on modern bayonets by that I mean late 50s-present times , I dont know of any from ww2 with that on there! Cool theater made knife though!

[robrinay]

Thank you for your replies folks and sorry for my late response but Ive been on holiday. It may well be a theatre made knife - made from a machine blade from a woodworking machine? Here are the pics that were requested above.

[robrinay]

And the makers mark

[robrinay]

And a crisper pic of the whole knife

[Horseclover]

The maker's mark is likely of a British firm. The bottom of the mark reads Leicester. I am unfamiliar with many US towns of Leicester (lester) other than a small town just west of Worcester Massachusetts.

 

As you mention the knife turned up in a boot sale, that would be another indication of a Sheffield area British origin.

 

Cheers

GC

[Horseclover]

I cannot make out the first letter of the top og the mark. I'm going to go and get blind here

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/content/dam/sheffield/docs/libraries-and-archives/archives-and-local-studies/collections/Cutlery%20and%20Silverware.pdf

 

bah no hits in a search of letters

 

There was a Hanky mill in Greenville, outside of Leicester Massachusetts that made machine knives but can't connect the word on that makers mark shown.

 

Cheers

GC

[schmooser]

I have a couple with tool steel makers names on them, as well as sawblade manufacturers.

[kilian]

I cannot make out the first letter of the top og the mark. I'm going to go and get blind here

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/content/dam/sheffield/docs/libraries-and-archives/archives-and-local-studies/collections/Cutlery%20and%20Silverware.pdf

 

bah no hits in a search of letters

 

There was a Hanky mill in Greenville, outside of Leicester Massachusetts that made machine knives but can't connect the word on that makers mark shown.

 

Cheers

GC

You may have overlooked that in his first post the topicstarter has already correctly identified, though misspelled, the maker's mark as that of British firm Wadkin (without s) of Leicester, England, makers of woodworking machinery.

[Horseclover]

You may have overlooked that in his first post the topicstarter has already correctly identified, though misspelled, the maker's mark as that of British firm Wadkin (without s) of Leicester, England, makers of woodworking machinery.

Ah so. I guess I was just too busy looking at the pictures.

 

Nevermind

GC