Thread: A tiny history question.

There was a newspaper appeal here in the UK around 1915 for any spare or old razors (straights) and they would be sent to the Sheffield Cutlery firms for refurbishing. Then sent out to the troops. The razors were usually fitted with Blonde Horn scales many with a small very feint W^D on the middle of one scale. The Soldiers number was also often branded on the scale. Thousands of razors were collected.
I've been looking for a link to back this up (a photo of a letter is around somewhere on the net).
Before 1916 a Soldier was required to grow a mustache, this rule was relaxed in 1916 and clean shaven was the norm, probably to allow a better fit of the gas masks.
One of the razors in my collection with the W^D mark on the scale, the razor made by John C Cockhill, Sheffield.

I have a WWI issued Hunter & Sons I was actually able to trace to a specific soldier. That is, once I was able to figure out which of the three George Turners who were in one particular battle were the George Turner who was in the correct unit.

More often than not, the records for this sort of thing are incomplete or entirely missing (you can thank the Blitz), but every now and again one is traceable.

Also, at one point I'd dug up the requisition information from the US Government purchasing razors from Clauss corporation for WWI era troops, but I'm having trouble finding that thread now.

Straight razors do not appear to have been common goods for US soldiers in WWI, but they were used, apparently by the Marines.

I have seen references in the past to razors that had their owner's regimental number (or equivalent) marked on to the scales and I know of at least one Canadian example where the razor was reunited with a descendant of the soldier in question via that number. Now, whether that razor was issued officially or whether he took his own overseas or acquired it in the UK before shipping to France and marked the scales to help prevent its disappearance is another question.