Thread: WWII ERN

Hi All

I had intended to post this razor on Anzac day, didn't get the chance unfortunately.

Before i go any further, excuse the poor pictures, I used the scanner as my cameras out of juice.

Here for your consideration is my ERN - Wald Solingen, a rather nondescript 6/8 razor in average condition, but its whats scratched into the scales that makes it vastly more important to me.

the scales bear the words 'TRIPOLI 1ST FEB 43' near the tang and 441815 SGMN. A. H. CHADWICK near the toe.

Now, Im not at all related to Signalman(?) Chadwick, but extend my eternal gratitude to him, the New Zealand troops and all those who served with the British Eighth Army in north africa, men who braved the desert to counter Rommel and the Axis forces, Italian fascism in Libya, and prevent Nazi Germany from acquiring the Suez Canal and the oilfields of the middle east.

P.S. the active rust has been removed since I made these pics.

Thanks for looking!

Very nice,

Those scales really make this particular razor worth our respect.

A blade with an honorable history. Are there any online sources of information to find out if Signalman Chadwick survived the war, which hopefully he did?

A cool piece of history for sure. I can't help but consider the irony in a soldier serving in the British Army using a straight razor made by a German in Solingen, Germany during this time period. As in now, the world was a complicated place then.

Originally Posted by altshaver

A cool piece of history for sure. I can't help but consider the irony in a soldier serving in the British Army using a straight razor made by a German in Solingen, Germany during this time period. As in now, the world was a complicated place then.

Exactly what had me wondering if perhaps he 'acquired' it from a German or Italian soldier, I cant imagine the British forces were issued with German razors?

Anyone know what was standard issue for each side?

It would be impossible to know how this gentleman acquired this razor. I know that in World War I, Gillette was able to convince the American Government to supply every soldier going overseas with a Gillette Safety Razor. This is one of the reasons why safety razors and Gillette in particular became so popular. I wouldn't be surprised if the British also supplied their troops with safety razors for both wars. It would make more sense to me as the safety razors have almost no maintenance.

If I were to guess, I would say that this razor may have been a personal item for this gentleman. Perhaps he purchased it before the war. Certainly, allied countries would not be importing anything from Germany, so I would doubt the British would supply their troops with these razors, unless they were old stock.

Thanks for posting pictures of the razor.

Originally Posted by EisenFaust

Exactly what had me wondering if perhaps he 'acquired' it from a German or Italian soldier, I cant imagine the British forces were issued with German razors?

Anyone know what was standard issue for each side?

Do not know about the Allied forces, but i knew few people who served in the Axis side when the times were bad. My late father in law spent his time in Carelian front during WW2. My late great uncle Amos joined the German SS Viking Division at the age of 15 and did his Eastern tour until got wounded in the Crimean Peninsula 1943. For what i heard as a kid, both had Gillette razors. For obvious reasons, Amos left his gear in Crim when he got a bullet thru his lung , but i still have my father in laws Gillette here.

Do not know about the allied side but here every person who is called to military service are asked to get some gear (incl. shaving gear) with him/her. That is how it goes even today.

Very interesting, thanks everyone. I guess a straight would be quite difficult to look after in such situations. Maybe it was his prior to the war, though there is esentially NO honewear on the blade bar what i would imagine is from the factory. Wikipedia tells me that The Eighth Army captured Tripoli on the 23rd of January 1943, and that nothing historically relevant happened on the 1st of Feb, so its significance may remain a mystery, perhaps thats the day he arrived there. But why scratch your razor of all things?

I've requested any info on Chadwick from the military here as its freely accessable if they are deceased, so hopefully they send though a service record or something.

He obviously survived the war if his razor ended up back in New Zealand, but clearly didnt continue to hone or use it... odd..If only it could talk!

IIRC. I read somewhere that Bengall supplied 250,000 razors to the Royal Navy.
I would doubt tho that ERN or any German maker supplied the Allies. Possibly spoils of war ?

Originally Posted by EisenFaust

VWikipedia tells me that The Eighth Army captured Tripoli on the 23rd of January 1943, and that nothing historically relevant happened on the 1st of Feb, so its significance may remain a mystery, perhaps thats the day he arrived there. But why scratch your razor of all things?

Thinking out loud here but could it be that trooper Chadwick acquired that razor on Feb. 1, one week after being in the force that captured Tripoli, and that is why the date was significant to him ? Just speculating. OTOH, I wouldn't look for him too hard .... he might get wind of it and want his lost razor back.