All About Pocket Knives

I have considered this for a long time, the honor goes to an unmarked field made fighter that was evidently owned by a man from The Australia area. My reason other than it being a neat knife was he embellished the sheath with a roadmap so to speak of his time with the piece. Please enjoy the photos, any help you can offer as how to improve the readability of the sheath without denigrating the integrity of the piece would be appreciated.
Moss

That is one of those knives that should be equipped with a mouth so it could relate it's history to all.Boy Moss;you have really proposed a tough question;I don't know if I could pick just one.
It could be the John Ek model 6 that was given to me by a friend in exchange for me evaluating a bunch of knives for him.
It could be the Case V-42 I bought on e-Bay disguised as a letter opener for about $18.
It could be the crude handmade knife my dad gave me that he made while stationed in San Diego in 1925.
It could be the first knife I ever bought with my own money(98 cents)at the age of 10 with my grandfather's permission of course.
It could be the 17th century Persian jambiya given to me by another friend in exchange for a repaired Buck 110 folder.
Those are just five of the many knives I consider to be very special.

Boy, that old feller has been around the Horn. A very neat piece.

Moss, the owner could have been from Australia or the U.S.. I think he was an American troop in WWII who made one of those regrouping trips down to Australia. I'll speculate he was U.S. Army or Navy because of the New Guinea marking. New Guinea was an Army/Australian operation with transportation and support supplied by the Navy. I can't make any sense of the other markings. Hazelwood could have been his last name. All wild speculation on my part.

These are a bit easier to read.

My favorite is an old Western L39 my mother got for me with Green Stamps (or Plaid Stamps) in 1957. The handle broke in 1959 because unbeknownst to me, the bifurcated tang had a hole in one stem of the tang and I was throwing the knife trying to stick it (not always successfully).

This is what it looked like when brand new (internet picture)
This is what it looked like after a Red Neck Repair in about 1968. That white gob on the end of the handle is Dow RTV (silicone rubber).
After I joined AAPK, I sent it off to Dale (orvet) for repair and this is what it looks like now.

Mossdancer,

In addition to what Jerry says I also see Mt. Coot-tha, which is near Brisbane.

Dennis

Mossdancer,

I think I got it! Gamadodo was a Navy base in New Guinea during the war. Google the name.

Dennis

Moss,

It's not Mt. Coot-tha it's Camp Cootha, a U.S. Navy depot near Mt. Coot-tha the Seabees built in 1943. See:
http://www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/places/?id=964

Odds are Hazlewood was American not Australian. If you Google: "hazlewood" u.s. navy ww2 Australia New Guinea you can find some war records of men who served. Put the name in quotes so you don't get Hazelwood.

What state did you find the knife in? What town? Maybe it didn't travel far after it came home. It is not inconceivable you could identify the man. It may be your favorite fixed blade but wouldn't it be amazing to hand it to the man's grandson?

Damn, this is fun! Great way to spend a lazy Friday morning.

Dennis

Here is more info on Camp Coot-tha, including photos of it being built. Some personnel who helped build it are listed but Hazlewood is not among them.

http://www.ozatwar.com/ozatwar/jcslaughter.htm

Dennis

My thanks to all. Your knives and info is fantastic please keep them coming. I got the knife here in Oregon, Astoria
according to sign when entering is the oldest White settlement West of the Mississippi. The Long Beach Wa., Peninsula
a few miles North of here is a big retirement settlement. I have met lots of WW 2 folks over there. Will start checking
Monday. I took a photo of sheath a few year ago when I got it. Printed it and inked in on the paper. His first name was Don. I will post the photo when I locate it. he just might be alive, lots of people living into their 90's now days,
Thanks again.
PS Don't; ever rely on a few years ago memory. His name was BUD as shown in the added photo: If you enlarge these they show all the names plus the hyphenation of Mt whatever it is, I think the 1944 may have importance also.

Great topic Moss, & fantastic knife!
I thought I knew what my favorite fixed blade was, but now I am not sure!
I will think about it and then post my favorite.

This US M4 Bayonet. My Dad was stationed in Japan with the US Army's 508th Airborne RCT when I was born (late 1955), he came home in mid 1956. One of the Soldier tools he kept from his overseas service was this M4 Bayonet, made by Imperial during WW-II. Dad wore it when we hunted or went camping, he carried it when we went fishing - if we were outdoors Dad had this bayonet with him. He had cut off the top of the web portion of the scabbard (removing the pistol belt hanger wire) so he could wear it on a belt and then he painted the knife and the scabbard black (his color - all his tools were painted black). When I was mobilized for Desert Storm in 1990 he came over for a visit and gave it to me. I cleaned the paint off the bayonet and found a relatively decent M8A1 scabbard in the weapons room at the Armory - I also spent quite a bit of time on the stones getting a good edge back on it and removing some chips from the blade edge. I didn't deploy to Desert Storm (it was over pretty quickly) but Dad told me to keep the bayonet as I was still in the ARNG and he was retired. I did carry the bayonet when I deployed to OIF in 2003. Between my Dad and me, this bayonet has seen a lot of service - both Army time and outdoors time. It is easily my favorite fixed blade. OH

Lotta nostalgia going on here. Great history on that old M-4 Colonel. I love it.

Wonderful old knives guys.

OHthat would definitely be one my favorites too. Outstanding.

Thanks gents. Reading about Moss's WW-II vintage knife got me inspired to take a new photo and post my M4. Jerry I remember when Dale restored your old knife - it's the people attached to a "thing" which gives it nostalgic value. OH

Old Hunter:
All I can say is WOW. I must have near or over a hundred War Knives. You know what? Not a damn one of them has a story or better said a biography even near to your dad's contribution to you. Thank you very much for sharing it with us.
I will as I do to so many folks who have similar items with knowledge about them, ask that you at least make a copy of your letter to AAPK and put it with the Carbine bayonet and place them with all his military items in a safe place for your future progeny to see and enjoy(Save them from some future garage or estate sale). Along with the letter you might place a link to the story and the responses from the members here. It is now part of the digital world and will most likely remain forever. Brian has created possibly
far more than original thought probably gave him. Thanks and Kudos Brian for a great site.
moss

I have quite a few fixed blade knives I am fond of but I think this old KA-BAR is my favorite. Not really a fixed blade by strict definition since the fork, butcher and hunting blades are interchangeable.

Cuz, you know me and western knives, I like 'em all. But that one of yours that Dale redid takes the cake. Absolutely fantastic.

The green stamps also brought back memories. We used to get them when I was a kid at the local Houchens grocery store. Momma had a book she'd keep them in and then we'd go down to the green stamp store and redeem them for stuff. I remember getting a toy guitar once, I don't remember them having knives though.

btrwtr:
KA-BAR(Some believe the name to have been adapted From Killed A Bar??) Why Not? It is a great story, Has propelled KA-BAR into the top tier of Old American made Knives. It just doesn't get much better, a beautiful set. I for one would surely enjoy seeing that combo as a matched up slicer to that fork. Makes one wonder if one time there was a second handle to this set. It really makes no difference cause I have never seen this combo before and it leaves me drooling.
moss

Nice knives posted here

Does it have to be a military knife? I see this is not the fixed blade forum

Dimitri, Moss did get it started in the Military Knife sub-forum, but it is such an interesting topic that I would like to see this thread keep going - even if it has to be moved to the fixed blade forum. My 2¢ for what it's worth. OH
Ps I was sure hoping there would be more knives and more stories in this thread.

D
Go ahead and move it if you want. Just gives me more fodder to pull from if not limited to military. I do think everyone if they desire can have more than one to celebrate.
moss

I'll have to dig around and take some pics of s couple of my old bone handle westerns that are my favorites. But I guess this one takes the cake.

It's a western bowie made at the end of 1967 never sharpened with sheath, box, paperwork, and the original sales receipt.

OK then, I am going to post two of my favorites one military related and one not.

This one has always interested me, very well made I don't believe the sheath is original but it fits so I left it with it. Inside the groove it is marked W.W. Herbert 1944, I have been unable to find out any information on this person, he could have been the maker or the owner during WW II

Here it is let me know what you think, I will post the other knife in my next post.

Dimitri, it appears that someone with some skill took a bayonet (not sure which one) and built themselves a heavy duty fighting knife around it. They ended up with a very nice knife. OH

Thanks Bruce I believe you are right, it is very well made.

I had a hard time deciding which non military fixed blade is my favorite but at the moment it is this Ruana. I found this one a few years back and it was never used, it sat quietly in its sheath gathering a light patina. I thought the finish was a bit crude compared to a Randall as I had never owned a Ruana before. So I put it to a little test cutting a phone book in half, cutting thick cardboard, rubber, a wood stick, etc. After my little torture test it can still shave hair off my arm!

It beats any Randall I have as far as sharpness goes.

If the knife was not so valuable I would carry it every day instead of the knife I carry now.