✅ SOLVED WWI Utility mess knife?

[watercolor]

Hi everyone!

Last weekend I was hunting the forest across from where a 1920's era
Boy Scout camp once was and found this knife. . . or what's left of it, at about 4".

The handle is cast aluminum and 3-1/2" in length and has "A.C.Co. 1918"
in raised letters on one side. . . the reverse side has no imprinting at all.

Could this be a WWI "U.S. Army" issue utility knife even though it has no markings as such?





Thanks for any of your thoughts,
watercolor

 

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[Sky_Warrior]

I don't think so it just doesn't look that dependable...and I don't think they make them outta aluminum...but I'm no expert.

 

[nhbenz]

Definitely a WWI mess kit knife. As noted in Allsmith's link below L. F. & C (Linder, Frary & Clark) as well as A.C.Co. (American Cutlery Company) made many aluminum handled mess kit knives. The blades were steel, which is why only the handle remains (for the most part).

 

[allsmith]

didnt find much info ..but heres some.. american cutlery co. mess kit knife. cool find!!

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/276937/

 

[Samuelben]

its made in 1918 all i noticed dont know much on WWI

 

[Gypsy Heart]

American Cutlery Company was in business from at least 1906 until 1918 as evidenced by scale patents assigned to them in 1906, 1909, 1911, 1912, and 1913 and the fact that they were producing knives for mess halls in 1917 and 1918.

American Cutlery Co.
Chicago, IL c. 1879-1928 Primarily a maker of steel knives, they did produce
a large array of mother of pearl and sterling handled knives. Succeeded by the
American Stainless Cutlery Co

 

[watercolor]

Wow!. . . thanks for all your info everyone.

I'm thinking that possibly some Boy Scout back in the 1920's might have "misplaced"
his father's mess knife that was brought back from the Great War.

(I'm going back out there today to find the fork & spoon )

Thanks everyone,
watercolor

 

[Rmeav8r]

Boy Scouts used surplus mess kits, canteens, web belts etc. since they were readily available and cheap. There could be much more where that came from.

 

[DaPaBr]

Late reply about your knife...

My great-uncle Jack Arden Shaw brought some things home from the war when he returned from World War I. On his headstone, it says: MECH 142 INFANTRY 36 DIV -- I do not know exactly what that means for his "rank", but I wanted to include it here along with a picture of the knife we have in our kitchen drawer. One one side, there is a large "U.S." The other side is plain with L.F.C. 1917 on the handle. (see picture)

 

[BosnMate]

As a boy scout right after WWII I had a knife and fork just like that one in my mess kit. Purchased at the Army Surplus Store for very little cash. I don't remember the price of the knife and fork, but I remember a barrel of rifles for under $10 among other things. Most of our Boy Scout camp gear came from the surplus store, and lots of it was WWI. However I remember my pack board was made by my dad following directions in the B. Scout handbook, but pack was army. There was a never ending supply of that stuff cheap, in those days. A guy should have stocked up and sold out now, man how times have changed. They had a bin full of these trench knives without a sheath, and I bought one, needless to say my dad had a fit, but I ended up keeping it, and it managed to get lost or thrown away later in life. I pretty much got cleaned out when I went off to the Navy, and that's probably what happened to it.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Lord yes. In my era it was Korean War surplus - which was itself still WWII surplus for the most part. Much of my fly-tying supplies are in .50 cal ammo boxes that were six for $5.00

M-65 coats and liners for a few dollars. Good 'ol Bernies Army & Navy Store. Bins of stuff. Helmet liners, gloves, boots, web belts, tools, knives, Esbit stoves & pellets (I still have about 10 pounds of pellets left and they still burn!).

Our scout troop looked like an episode of M.A.S.H. That's where everyone got their gear. Nothing like two guys sleeping in a pair of "shelter halves" to make a tent. Or packing them out wet when they weighed four times as much as when dry.

My scout troop had a Army field telegraph we used for Morse Code. It had a pair of what I believe were 45 volt dry-cell batteries but some smart Dad came up with an arrangement of model train transformer (some old football sized monster) and wire & spit to get it to work off wall current. Touch the wrong spots ("double-dog-dare-you") and it would zap you good!

Good memories.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Neat find, I got these at an estate sale a while back, mine are from two different makers, not sure how many there were.


The ones marked LFC are made by Landers Frary & Clark of New Britain CT, my other one is American Cutlery Co. Theirs were all marked clearly on the handle as far as I know.

 

[coinman123]

Looks like one to me


Awesome find, Coinman123

 

[coinman123]

I just noticed this thread is over 7 years old, oh well, doesn't hurt to post a new reply

 

[watercolor]

I just noticed this thread is over 7 years old, oh well, doesn't hurt to post a new reply

You're absolutely right.
That's what I like about TNet. . . there's always something more that you can learn about something you've found and possibly how it may have been lost.

Thanks again everyone for sharing your personal experiences which have added a few more pieces to the puzzle.