Ibberson Gravity Knife

[kwijibo99]

Recently I came into possession of a knife I didn't think I'd ever see in person let alone have in my collection.

The WWII British copy of the 1937 Luftwaffe paratrooper knife (fallschirmjäger messer) was made by George Ibberson & Co, Sheffield at request of the Command Ordnance Supply Depot (COSD) in 1943-44. Primarily intended for use by British paratroops, commandos and the SOE they were apparently issued in fairly limited numbers.

This knife was amongst a lot of tools being sold off by a retired electrician. He did not know any specific history of the knife other than that it came to him with some of his father’s old tools. His father was a plumber and never in the service, however his father’s brother was an Australian army radio operator during WWII so it’s possible the knife may have come from him although this is pure speculation.

What I’m now wondering is how did this knife end up in an Australian plumber’s toolbox? Were these ever issued to Australian troops or was it perhaps the product of an equipment swap between blokes in the field at some point?

The knife is in very good condition having only slight scrapes on the blade and very light surface rust while the “Bexoid” scales are pretty much perfect. The blade etching is very clear and the number 58 beneath the marlin spike is only five higher than the 53 marked on the specimen in the Imperial War Museum.

Restoration wise I've done nothing yet and may well leave it exactly as found with just a coat of Renaissance wax. The other option being to soak it in some Evaporust for a day or so followed by a light touch with a brass brush then wax.
Cheers,
Greg.

[M.E.E.]

Wow, so jealous, I always check pawnshops etc on the hope to find something like this but never have had the luck. Great find and thanks for showing.

[PembrokeYeo]

Great write up Greg. An extremely rare gravity knife in very good condition. Well done, Chris.

P.S. The UK tightened up its law on knife ownership in 2019, despite requests for an historical category exemption, that has made ownership of such a historical piece a criminal offence.

[Reibert]

Wonderful piece of military history, congratulations ! Please don't make things worse about this beautiful piece!

Periodically wipe the blade and metal parts with a soft, oil-soaked cloth.

Please do not use rust removers or other aggressive cleaning agents, as these could damage other parts of the knife!

I own some early GDR NVA gravity knives and these knives are much rarer to find than original Wehrmacht-Luftwaffe gravity knives!
Your knife is much, much rarer to find!

Please keep it safe and take care of this rare knife!

[Anderson]

A rare find indeed. I understand Ibberson made 500 knifes for the SOE while another 1,200- 1,500 were made by two other Sheffield manufacturers. So why so few around? The story goes most knives were dumped by the Royal Navy in the North Sea after the war. Only a few are believed to have escaped.