museumtom Posted 13 March , 2008 Share Posted 13 March , 2008 I picked up a ww1 spoon in a car boot sale years ago and half and inch the tip of it was worn away. A few months ago I seen a ww1 spoon for sale on ebay and it was in the same condition. Is there the slightest possibility that these spoons were deliberately ground down so you could cut with it as well as use is as a spoon? Regards. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Poilu Posted 13 March , 2008 Share Posted 13 March , 2008 I don't know if they were deliberately sharpened but many I have seen have been worn as you describe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 13 March , 2008 Share Posted 13 March , 2008 Is there the slightest possibility that these spoons were deliberately ground down so you could cut with it as well as use is as a spoon? Regards. Tom Vest pocket version of the sharpened entrenching tool used in trench raids? Ah, yes Baldrick, let those Huns try it - I shall be ready for them! Sorry. Couldn't resist, old chap. Regards, MikB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRANVILLE Posted 13 March , 2008 Share Posted 13 March , 2008 I don't know if they were deliberately sharpened but many I have seen have been worn as you describe. The only handed down effect I have is in fact a spoon, and guess what; its edge is heavily worn, consistent with it having been used by a right handed person. My own understanding as to why, has always been simple wear & tear. If you consider what was being eaten much of the time, and the shape of the mess tins, I think it's little wonder the spoon was wearing a bit thin before long. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geraint Posted 13 March , 2008 Share Posted 13 March , 2008 What exactly is a "world war one spoon"? Is it date or government stamped? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59165 Posted 13 March , 2008 Share Posted 13 March , 2008 Hi Tom, I have seen 4 of these spoons attributed to British forces(sorry,not Commonwealth)& all have been cut/filed down to a flat ,semi sharp edge.The find sites were all 1915. They are all tough & I doubt that they could have been worn down by scoffing.They are just too hard for that so,I reckon they must have been used in a similar way to a normal kfs but ,as anyone whose eaten compo's will tell you,there is no need for a knife. Think of bully beef,even with a couple of spuds in the mess tin you would only ever use a spoon & a mess tin would wear a hole before any damage to a spoon occured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief_Chum Posted 14 March , 2008 Share Posted 14 March , 2008 The spoons aren't worn, they are deliberately ground into that shape so that you can get into the corners of your mess tins. I have quite a few Great war spoons, some WW2 and even a few 1950s ones and all have been done for the same reason. Un-trimmed spoons just don't fit into the corners of your mess tins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 14 March , 2008 Share Posted 14 March , 2008 Spoons Carried in Action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 14 March , 2008 Share Posted 14 March , 2008 Great pic, Russ. Thanks to Taff for confirming what I suspected, but had no way of proving. It seems odd, though, if this 'modification' was widespread, that it didn't lead to the design of an official 'mess tin-compatible' spoon. Incidentally, it seems to me that a snub-nosed spoon would also be ideal for scraping the bottom of a round tin can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KevinEndon Posted 14 March , 2008 Share Posted 14 March , 2008 Soldiers were keen to get the weight of their kit down and also to save as much room as possible. A knife, fork and spoon would not only weigh more but take up room. Chuck away the fork and knife and modify the spoon so it can be used as all three makes sense. Not only was the spoon used as utensils but also as a screw driver, this is probably why the soldiers have them in the putties. 4 uses for 1 item. The original Swiss army knife. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 14 March , 2008 Share Posted 14 March , 2008 Actually, there were 5 uses. You must have heard the Edwardian expression Spooning. (Am I the only one reading this to be put in mind of the Private Eye "Me and my spoon" column?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadog Posted 14 March , 2008 Share Posted 14 March , 2008 At last SPOONS - I never thought I would be able to post this: RFC Spoon No. 878 Back W (arrow) D3 W Tay & Sons Birmingham Great Stuff! And yes the front is sharp and thin caused by usage I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckop4 Posted 14 March , 2008 Share Posted 14 March , 2008 I picked up a ww1 spoon in a car boot sale years ago and half and inch the tip of it was worn away. A few months ago I seen a ww1 spoon for sale on ebay and it was in the same condition. Is there the slightest possibility that these spoons were deliberately ground down so you could cut with it as well as use is as a spoon? Regards. Tom Tom and all, thanks for posting this. I have an old spoon the same as what you are describing, belonged to my aunt who got it from her mother. Can't make out the stamp but it has been engraved with the letter 'H,' and as my grandfather served in WWI, I now think that it might have been his as the family name was Hogan. And to think that I have been cooking with this spoon since I inherited it...not to mention all the times it has been in and out of the dishwasher JPC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 Are all WW1 spoons ordnance marked? How would I recognize one otherwise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 All Spoons are Stamped with the MOD Arrow.If it has not got that,then it is NOT Govt Issue.if you check out the DVD "The Forgotten Battlefield" the Fate of a PBI was Determined by the Discovery of His Spoon,if you have not seen the Film,please PM Me with your Details and i will send you a Copy of the DVD post Haste.Warm Regards Russ. Actually, there were 5 uses. You must have heard the Edwardian expression Spooning. (Am I the only one reading this to be put in mind of the Private Eye "Me and my spoon" column?). Back to Skindles you go..You Dirty Old Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 All Spoons are Stamped with the MOD Arrow. Thanks, Russ. I assume you mean all WW1 spoons - I`m not aware that more modern spoons are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 Morning Phil.Sorry for being less Concise,i should have said that up until the Late 50s ,All Service Kit,including Spoons Were Stamped withe the "Arrow"...On the DVD i was on about,even the PBIs Boot Brushes were stamped with said Arrow..the Offers still open for the DVD by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief_Chum Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 "All Spoons are Stamped with the MOD Arrow.If it has not got that,then it is NOT Govt Issue" For the vast majority of early Kitchener men; the sudden rush to the colours outstripped the army's cutlery supply and many battalions had to buy commercially - without the crow's foot mark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 The reason that the shape of the spoon was important possibly isn't only because the squaddie wanted to eat every last morsel, but also the fact that the facility to wash mess tins was very limited so it was important to remove the food from the corners. There would possibly be something of 'coming the old soldier' to it as well, much the same as relatively modern soldiers would try to find a large plastic spoon because it was mentioned in a McNab thriller or cut their tootbbush handles off half way down to save weight, absolutely b*llox though. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 "All Spoons are Stamped with the MOD Arrow.If it has not got that,then it is NOT Govt Issue" For the vast majority of early Kitchener men; the sudden rush to the colours outstripped the army's cutlery supply and many battalions had to buy commercially - without the crow's foot mark! Of Course Taff...How Stupid of Me to Neglect this Basic Fact....I will put my Pointy Hat on and Sit in the Corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 Hey, gents - have we reassessed this? A WW1 spoon now might or might not have an arrow on? Any other distinguishing features? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 I will put my Pointy Hat on and Sit in the Corner. Were these hats pointy when issued, or did soldiers sharpen them for this purpose ...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T8HANTS Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 All Spoons are Stamped with the MOD Arrow. If it has not got that, then it is NOT Govt Issue. if you check out the DVD "The Forgotten Battlefield" the Fate of a PBI was Determined by the Discovery of His Spoon, if you have not seen the Film, please PM Me with your Details and i will send you a Copy of the DVD post Haste.Warm Regards Russ. That is a very risky way of identifying remains, I was given a spoon carried by an Isle of Wight Rifleman on the day of the 163 Brigade attack 12/8/1915, when he was blinded in one eye by a spent round. The only problem is, it isn't his spoon, it belonged to another lad in the Battalion. The spoon however came back to the UK, and was a treasured memento for his whole life. He would have known that it wasn't his service number on it, but his daughter didn't. Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 A sharpened spoon and a shortened toothbrush were what all aspiring backpackers carried in 60s, especially after H. McInnes' book, Hamish's Mountain Walk. He also tore out pages of books after he had read them and only carried the part of a map he would need. Although it is of very little real significance, I personally, never heard of it before that, in cadets, T.A. or regulars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eparges Posted 15 March , 2008 Share Posted 15 March , 2008 Hi, here are 2 spoons, that were dug in the Ypres-salient about 15 years ago (not by me!). The top one is a 'civvie' one, marked to the handle 'Walker & Hall Sheffield', no other markings. The other one is marked to one side '4269' (sodiers ID i suppose), to the other 4 EX' which I suppose stands for 1/4th Essex? To my knowledge, they never served in France (Gallipoli if I'm correct), so perhaps its owner was transferred or 'handed it down'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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