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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Do you have a ww1 spoon?


museumtom

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I also have, what II think is a WW I spoon.... Stamped VI... or perhaps VT 129276. Makers marks are M & W BP. Looking for any info on this spoon,

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The idea of sharpening spoons isn't a new one. In my, relatively, "modern" service, there were quite a few of us who sharpened one edge of a spoon so that a full KFS didn't have to be carried. I believe "racing spoon" was the name of them due to the speed you could eat your scoff!!

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Hi, this spoon was found at the former WW1 German fore front military fortifications. Maybe someone knows something that can mean engraving and abbreviation S.O.?

post-116905-0-63390300-1415027480_thumb.

post-116905-0-35814500-1415027491_thumb.

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  • 5 months later...

I am a little confused with spoon shape, the two spoons shown in post #43, am I to understand that the more rounded 'bowl' of the second spoon is due to field modification and that originally both spoons looked the same with the pointed shape.

thanks

khaki

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  • 4 weeks later...

post-29707-0-62263000-1432658064_thumb.jpost-29707-0-97385600-1432658148_thumb.j

I am a little confused with spoon shape, the two spoons shown in post #43, am I to understand that the more rounded 'bowl' of the second spoon is due to field modification and that originally both spoons looked the same with the pointed shape.

thanks

khaki

This is my spoon, WD& unit/ service number marked, note that the bowl tip in more rounded as in post #43, Manufactured by John Round & son Ltd

khaki

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post-29707-0-79074000-1432670167_thumb.jpost-29707-0-14990900-1432670301_thumb.jNot a spoon, but an interesting combination knife and fork manufactured by GENERAL BESTECK age unknown but I would guepost-29707-0-29294100-1432670378_thumb.jsstimate late 19th century. I found this rummaging around in a box of GW material about 35 years ago. Possibly military private purchase, German?? Great War use? maybe.

khaki (Your thoughts please)

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Hi all

I am new to this forum and the spoon department. I am hoping that you would all be able to help me. While in the process of restoring a ww2 trench, metal detectorist have found these spoos and fork. I have been able to find information on the tea spoon from the hallmarks. The fork is stamped with MAPPIN&WEBB 1939 and has the war department/military issue arrow on it but no other markings.

The larger spoon is the one we are struggling with. The markings are MAPPIN&WEBB 1931 on the underside along with some letters & numbers we can't quite read. On the top of the handle the numbers 2529 are stamped.

Any help/advice would be much appreciated at this point.

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Hello AHOPE,

Welcome to the Great War Forum, from the dates on your interesting finds it is clear that they fall within the scope of the second world war and your question would be more appropriate and possibly better answered on a site that specializes in WW2 material and events.

good luck

khaki

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  • 3 years later...

Hi. Looks like this conversation hasn't been spoken about for a while!

I have a spoon which belonged to my great great grandfather during World War 1. Could anybody tell me anything about why he would have had his name and Bengal stamped on it. I have photos but I am not sure how to attach them! Thanks Carol

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  • 1 year later...

Clearing out a green house I found this spoon (tip worn) - stamped 166945. No idea how to find the person who owned this. 

 

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2 choices

 

View Record Arthur Quinn Royal Field Artillery 166945 mag_m.gif
View Record Thomas W Fenwick Royal Garrison Artillery 166945
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Quinn was from Queen Street in Dumfries, and Fenwick from Belvoir Street in Hull. Both have service papers available - but they don't reveal who was the spoon owner!

So where was the greenhouse?

 

BillyH.

Edited by BillyH
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Thanks for this info. Amazing! 
 

As a layman, it seems odd two men serving at the same time had the same number. 
 

I wonder if there is any other way to narrow this down. Since the spoon made it back to the UK, I presume the owner survived the war.
 

I presume both men, Quinn and Fenwick, survived the war? 

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They both survived, and there is no 166945 casualty (any name) listed on CWGC.

 

BillyH.

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Judging by the wear on tip of the by a spoon, it was used in the left hand (when held in the left hand the worn angle points to about 1 o’clock; i.e. near side worn) ... so the person was left handed then??? 

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I have in the past been interested in my great grand father - Harry Clay (Long Eaton / Leicestershire?) who got the MM in Egypt/Palestine and the DCM in Belgium/France and was wounded in Gallipoli. I believe I found his DCM citation (in the London Gazette) , but was always interested to know if his MM citation would have been recorded hence found. My father told me he was one of the last British soldiers to go to war on a horse ... 

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14 minutes ago, GobsH said:

Judging by the wear on tip of the by a spoon, it was used in the left hand (when held in the left hand the worn angle points to about 1 o’clock; i.e. near side worn) ... so the person was left handed then??? 

 

Now, that bit of information shouldn't really be of any help at all  -  but curiously, Arthur Quinn lost part of his left thumb in the war, so perhaps he wouldn't have been able to hold the spoon with his left hand!

 

BillyH.

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4 minutes ago, BillyH said:

 

Now, that bit of information shouldn't really be of any help at all  -  but curiously, Arthur Quinn lost part of his left thumb in the war, so perhaps he wouldn't have been able to hold the spoon with his left hand!

 

BillyH.

Interesting  ... but, did he lose part of his left thumb because he was left handed??? I wonder what grip soldiers used to eat with. It’s a big spoon, I can almost imagine a full fist grip to shovel food in with. 

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I’ve searched and all the spoons I found were worn the opposite direction - so I think this soldier was left handed. 
 

Silly question time - in the service cards, who writes in the name? To me, the name and rest of the writing were done by different people.

 

I’m no expert, but if the solider wrote their own name, then perhaps we can tell if Quinn or Fenwick is a leftie by style ... 

 

Again, no expert, but Fenwick’s ‘Thomas’ looks more fluid, with a curling back T that looks less natural for a leftie ...

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I hope I’m not over-egging this ...

 

I found an article (published in the 90s) that suggests the left handed people are much more likely to have a dominant thumb amputation that a right handed person.
 

https://www.jhandsurg.org/article/S0363-5023(05)80157-1/pdf

 

This is believed to be due to bad tool design. 

 

Both soldier worked in artillery (I believed), which might have been designed with right handed people in mind, especially in 1914-20.
 

Can’t be sure, but probability suggests this more likely to be Arthur Quinn’s spoon and not Thomas Fenwick’s. 


@BillyH - I don’t suppose there’s a date associated with the thumb injury? 

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