All About Pocket Knives

Just a note of explanation on this posting. I have posted this for sale in my store but I really don't want to sell it. I want to return it to the Soldier/Sailor/Marine who scratched the following on the stainless handle:
D. N. HUBBARD OCT 3, 1945
Lipa, Luzon
Philippine Islands
It is likely that he has passed so I seek to locate his family for the return. I looked through Silvey's book POCKET KNIVES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY and this knife is not shown. These plain handles likely predate the crosshatch stainless handles with which we are all familiar.
If any one sees this post or listing and has information that might lead to the family of this member of the Greatest Generation, please message me.
I am going tp post some photos of the inscription but they are hard to see in the photos.

Ray

That's a great piece of history Ray! I hope you find the owner or his heir!

Thanks, Dale. I am hopeful.

Ray

Paladin wrote: ↑Wed Aug 27, 2025 11:50 am Thanks, Dale. I am hopeful.

Ray

I spend a lot of time doing family history research on
www.findagrave.com
If you go to that website and enter the name into the boxes and go to refine search, click the box for veteran. I got 4 records returned that fit that search. One could look at their birth dates and death dates that would work with the WWII time frame. Only 2 of them fit. Donald N Hubbard birth date unknown date of death Jan 1984. The other is Dovie Norman Hubbard, Aug 27, 1917 - Feb 23, 1992. The one fella is buried in New York and the other in Alabama. This website is for people who are deceased only, but if this person fought in WWII, good chance he is deceased. The other thing is not everyone who has lived has had their memorial page started on Find A Grave, so he could be among the millions who havent.
Just a possibility, it may be impossible to locate the correct person.

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Wed Aug 27, 2025 3:19 pm

Paladin wrote: ↑Wed Aug 27, 2025 11:50 am Thanks, Dale. I am hopeful.

Ray

I spend a lot of time doing family history research on
www.findagrave.com
If you go to that website and enter the name into the boxes and go to refine search, click the box for veteran. I got 4 records returned that fit that search. One could look at their birth dates and death dates that would work with the WWII time frame. Only 2 of them fit. Donald N Hubbard birth date unknown date of death Jan 1984. The other is Dovie Norman Hubbard, Aug 27, 1917 - Feb 23, 1992. The one fella is buried in New York and the other in Alabama. This website is for people who are deceased only, but if this person fought in WWII, good chance he is deceased. The other thing is not everyone who has lived has had their memorial page started on Find A Grave, so he could be among the millions who havent.
Just a possibility, it may be impossible to locate the correct person.

Olde Cutler,
Thanks for this info. I went there and followed your suggestions. Looks like Dovie Hubbard is a real possibility. At least it fits.
I do realize this may not ever work out but I thought I would give it a try here to see what might develop.

Thanks again,
Ray

If you read the obit for Dovie, he received ribbons and medals for his service. But I looked up those awards and none were for the Pacific theater. He was a POW for 14 months, but the obit doesn't say where. If the knife had his service number scratched on it, then it could be traced thru government records.
The other guy buried in New York could have been a bomber pilot, but that would likely not put him on the ground in the Philippines.

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Wed Aug 27, 2025 5:31 pm If you read the obit for Dovie, he received ribbons and medals for his service. But I looked up those awards and none were for the Pacific theater. He was a POW for 14 months, but the obit doesn't say where. If the knife had his service number scratched on it, then it could be traced thru government records.
The other guy buried in New York could have been a bomber pilot, but that would likely not put him on the ground in the Philippines.

Well, he may not be the real possibility I thought he might be.
I sure appreciate your hep on this.

Ray

Paladin wrote: ↑Wed Aug 27, 2025 5:41 pm

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Wed Aug 27, 2025 5:31 pm If you read the obit for Dovie, he received ribbons and medals for his service. But I looked up those awards and none were for the Pacific theater. He was a POW for 14 months, but the obit doesn't say where. If the knife had his service number scratched on it, then it could be traced thru government records.
The other guy buried in New York could have been a bomber pilot, but that would likely not put him on the ground in the Philippines.

Well, he may not be the real possibility I thought he might be.
I sure appreciate your hep on this.

Ray

Thanks Ray. This kind of wild goose chases are usually interesting and sometimes do end in a favorable result.
I have a couple of other ides that I am going to look into, I'll let you if anything shows.

Thanks again for the help and this is truely a 'wild goose chase'.

Ray

I am following along just because this is SO AWESOME!
I too hope you can find some of his kin.

Ray, thank you for making an effort to find him or a family member. It will likely mean a lot to them. I know because my dad had a fixed blade knife that he carried in the Philippines until he was evacuated after being wounded. He was sent by hospital ship to a military hospital where he spent several months recovering. That knife, with his service number on it, and the rest of his personal belongings never caught up with him, and he never saw it again. Both the knife and sheath were custom made and gifted to him by a local machinist in his home town before he was deployed, so it meant a lot to him. He searched for it unsuccessfully, and often spoke about it, for the remainder of his life. He died 10 years ago next month, and would have been 100 years old today.

So if D.N. Hubbard was anything like my dad, his family will be thrilled to have that knife.

Ken

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Fri Aug 29, 2025 4:16 am Ray, thank you for making an effort to find him or a family member. It will likely mean a lot to them. I know because my dad had a fixed blade knife that he carried in the Philippines until he was evacuated after being wounded. He was sent by hospital ship to a military hospital where he spent several months recovering. That knife, with his service number on it, and the rest of his personal belongings never caught up with him, and he never saw it again. Both the knife and sheath were custom made and gifted to him by a local machinist in his home town before he was deployed, so it meant a lot to him. He searched for it unsuccessfully, and often spoke about it, for the remainder of his life. He died 10 years ago next month, and would have been 100 years old today.

So if D.N. Hubbard was anything like my dad, his family will be thrilled to have that knife.

Ken

Ken,
Thanks for sharing.
My Dad's USN-marked KaBar was stolen from me and I sure hated to lose it. I went so far as to buy a replacement but every time I looked at it I would get mad again. I ended up selling it just to get it out of sight. Life goes on.

Ray