Thread: WWI Razor? James Barber - Hand Forged

Originally Posted by Mastershake

Here is my WW1 Cockhill, does anyone know what the "RE" stands for at the end? Also any idea about a manufacture date for a Cockhill? Thank you.

RE *could* be the Royal Engineers.

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

Maybe it is RPA, but if the soldier's service number is on the scales it seems like overkill to put his initials on them too.

The reason I thought it might be RFA is because I have seen similar razors with regimental markings - I suppose if you found the razor in a mixed camp, rather than asking for the soldier by serial number you would just hand it over to someone in the same regiment, and let them figure out whose it was - different brigades and divisions fought side by side at the front.

The Royal Regiment of Artillery (RA) was formed in 1722, the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) in 1793, and in 1899 the RHA was split into three parts: the Royal Field Artillery (RFA), the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) and the remaining RHA, So, the earliest year those scales could be from - if indeed it is RFA - is 1899.

My dad was a Gunner in the Royal Artillery, by the way.

I've turned up very little plausible on RPA, so I think your theory that it's an F, and thus Royal Field Artillery is as sound as it gets until I get hold of someone with documents to trace the number. And now that Mastershake has turned up another with a similar numbering scheme, I'm convinced that my instinct was correct here.

Time to find some hardcore military historians!

Thank you so very, very much!

(And yes, I am quite certain I'll get a better shave with this razor for knowing all this)

Alright. That cinches it. The numbering scheme on yours is the same as the one I've got, and the positioning is the same.

I am now fully convinced that Neil is correct about regiment markings.

All this now makes me wonder what the numbers and letters on my Pipe can mean...

I've just sent email to the Imperial War Museum in London. I hope they can help.

Originally Posted by Mastershake

Here is my WW1 Cockhill, does anyone know what the "RE" stands for at the end? Also any idea about a manufacture date for a Cockhill? Thank you.

Examining the one I've got, I just found the remnants of another, very faint stamp in between the numbers and the letters. I had to hold it up to the light and angle it around. It looked, at first, like just a few scratches. But I'm pretty sure it used to be letters.

Can you examine that one and see if it has anything there? On mine, it was just after the 5 digit number, but much smaller letters.

On the other side of the handle of mine, there are three dots, made with the same technique of the letters. But I think it's just for an aesthetic reason, unless three dots at a consistent distance from one another mean something to the army. Do you have anything on yours?

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

Examining the one I've got, I just found the remnants of another, very faint stamp in between the numbers and the letters. I had to hold it up to the light and angle it around. It looked, at first, like just a few scratches. But I'm pretty sure it used to be letters.

Can you examine that one and see if it has anything there? On mine, it was just after the 5 digit number, but much smaller letters.

I looked all over the scales even with a flashlight behind the translucent horn scales and I have no additional marking on mine.
Maybe the light addidtional marking was by the soldier, initials or something. It's funny that both of our first set of numbers end in "44".

Originally Posted by Mastershake

I looked all over the scales even with a flashlight behind the translucent horn scales and I have no additional marking on mine.
Maybe the light addidtional marking was by the soldier, initials or something. It's funny that both of our first set of numbers end in "44".

I don't think the marking I found was scrawled, it's really clearly defined letter forms, like from a die-stamp, just much smaller. About the size of the typeface on an old typewriter.

Do you know anything about where yours came from? Presumably, you bought it here in the US? I'm pretty sure the seller of the one I got also got his here. That combined with the similar numbering scheme and layout is very interesting as well.

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

I don't think the marking I found was scrawled, it's really clearly defined letter forms, like from a die-stamp, just much smaller. About the size of the typeface on an old typewriter.

Do you know anything about where yours came from? Presumably, you bought it here in the US? I'm pretty sure the seller of the one I got also got his here. That combined with the similar numbering scheme and layout is very interesting as well.

I traded for mine with a local barber, he didn't know what the markings were I had to do research on the forum to find out so I have no history, sorry.