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.