My father was a cook in the Coast Guard during WW2 at the New York Port of Embarkation. I grew up listening to his stories of course, but one day he pulls out a knife. I asked him how he got it, and he said something to the effect of "... when you left the service, you checked out, and they had buckets for all the stuff you were supposed to give back, and sometimes guys would forget to dump some stuff....". I laughed.
I was fascinated with it, but he wouldn't let me touch it (I was about 10 years old). He hung it up on the wall in his room in the basement, where I'd often stare at it and wonder what he used it for. Maybe jungle fighting in the Pacific, house to house combat in France? I knew he was a cook, but I took a lot of liberties with my imagination.
A few weeks ago, I suddenly remembered the knife. My Father passed away a few years ago, so I asked my Mom if she could send it. She not only sent the knife, but a few U.S.N spoons I also remember from childhood that my Father kept during his service.
In addition, she sent a few certificates he received for completing some correspondence courses during his enlistment. I laughed when I saw them. While I was in the Marine Corps, one thing EVERYBODY hated was having to complete those courses. Didn't know they had them in WW2!
I'll post pics of the knife this weekend. Here is some information I found regarding it:
Scabard :
Tempting to say it's plastic, but in actuality its fiberglass. The metal collar is marked "USN MK2" on the front and "NORD-4723 BM CO 2 V*P*.
The NORD 4723 designates that it was produced and issued under that Navy contract number between November 1943 and July 1944:
Code:
Contract # Contract $ Est. Quant Dates of Delivery
NORD 4723 $521,000 600,000 11/43 7/44 Mark 1 / Mark 2
NORD 6581 $240,000 275,000 7/44 2/45 Mark 2
NORD 6804 $79,000 95,000 6/44 4/45 Mark 1
NORD 8114 $592,000 675,000 3/45 8/45 Mark 1 / Mark 2
NORD 8676 $125,000 150,000 3/45 12/45
The markings of B.M. Co. and the stylized V P logo indicate the Beckwith Mfg Co. a division of Victory Plastics made this scabard.
Knife :
Blade looks to be 7". it's marked "Camillus" and "USN Mark 2" on the underside of the guards, not the blade. However, mine has one guard removed, so the "C" is missing. Not sure why it's missing, My Father didn't explain much about the knife, and I never knew enough to ask.
Bookmarks