I have this penknife which was given to me by my father alongside the throwaway claim that it was military issue from WWII. Is this true?
The claim was that my grandfather acquired a crate of knives after the war in storage sell offs as the military pulled out of the Orkney Isles (as they both lived there, plausible). I never saw any crate but my Dad does have about two dozen of these, many well worn - however I am sceptical because of my fathers tendency to exaggerate.
The knife has
VICTORINOX
SWITZERLAND
STAINLESS
ROSTFREI
at the base of the blade, which seems consistent with all Victorinox knives of the time and since.
I have been unable to turn anything up in regards to a back-catalogue of Victorinox or lists of historic military issue knives.
Does anyone here know anything? It would be a nice little tidbit to throw out whilst cracking open bottles if I knew it was true!
Thanks
Almost all British army pen-knives common in the 1940s were manufactured in Sheffield. British soldiers weren't issued knives (aside from their bayonets) unless they were in the commando regiments (in which case they were issued a Fairburn-Sykes "Fighting Knife" brand, again, Sheffield made), but officers were largely responsible for getting their own uniform and kit together until the 1970s. It's not altogether impossible that these knives were imported by an officer. The English branding on them makes that even more possible.
