French regional knives...

Couteau à palme, a close up on the blade would help identify the maker?
My current camera seems to have problems with close ups at the moment and the makers mark is very worn, but I'll see what I can do. Thank you for your response. What is your gut feeling regards age Jolipapa?
 
Nontron has an interesting article on their website about this style of knife. Google “Les couteaux Nontron et la Grande Guerre”. I would buy the reproduction, but it is way too expensive, and stainless.
These were plain hunters knives (couteau de chasse), renamed trench knives (couteau de tranchée) for the purpose, in 1914 they were given to infantry soldiers, but the number was soon unsufficient and if practical to cut bread, they were unefficient in hand to hand fights, so soldiers were later equipped with fixed kitchen knives or with the famous "Vengeur"..
these examples were made by the Manufacture d'Armes et Cycles de St-Etienne
dscf7321.jpg
dscf0301.jpg

a team of "trench cleaners" (Equipe SZ, 290è R.I. (section "Zigouilleurs" ) cf/https://www.tircollection.com/t32241-armes-blanches-des-nettoyeurs-de-tranchees-ww1
trench17.jpg
 
These were plain hunters knives (couteau de chasse), renamed trench knives (couteau de tranchée) for the purpose, in 1914 they were given to infantry soldiers, but the number was soon unsufficient and if practical to cut bread, they were unefficient in hand to hand fights, so soldiers were later equipped with fixed kitchen knives or with the famous "Vengeur"..
these examples were made by the Manufacture d'Armes et Cycles de St-Etienne
dscf7321.jpg
dscf0301.jpg

a team of "trench cleaners" (Equipe SZ, 290è R.I. (section "Zigouilleurs" ) cf/https://www.tircollection.com/t32241-armes-blanches-des-nettoyeurs-de-tranchees-ww1
trench17.jpg
Thanks a lot Tom, this looks most interesting. ☺
 
These were plain hunters knives (couteau de chasse), renamed trench knives (couteau de tranchée) for the purpose, in 1914 they were given to infantry soldiers, but the number was soon unsufficient and if practical to cut bread, they were unefficient in hand to hand fights, so soldiers were later equipped with fixed kitchen knives or with the famous "Vengeur"..
these examples were made by the Manufacture d'Armes et Cycles de St-Etienne
dscf7321.jpg
dscf0301.jpg

a team of "trench cleaners" (Equipe SZ, 290è R.I. (section "Zigouilleurs" ) cf/https://www.tircollection.com/t32241-armes-blanches-des-nettoyeurs-de-tranchees-ww1
trench17.jpg
Rough-looking crew. I wouldn't want to see them in my trench.
They look pretty perky, too. I wonder how late this was in the war.
 
Rough-looking crew. I wouldn't want to see them in my trench.
They look pretty perky, too. I wonder how late this was in the war.

If they look perky, then, it was after the war but it was just for the photography.
If you look at their eyes more closely you will see the strange expression of those who have seen the unimaginable. See the one crouching on the right side, he wears a watch on his wrist, look at his eyes. Typical of those who have survived.

Dan.
 
I have been eyeballing this Catalan knife because of it seems to have some sort of shared ancestry with the early Laguiole. I’m pretty sure it is just a friction folder, though.
I0gHJWF.png

No, no link with the Laguiole, even the early pattern.
I went ahead and ordered one of these. It is sold as a “Gabacha” knife.

From Wikipedia: Gabacho (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡaˈβatʃo]; feminine, gabacha) is a word used in the Spanish language to describe foreigners of different origins. In Spain it is used as a pejorative reference to someone French, coming from the Catalan word gavatx which translates as foreigner.:p!
 
I went ahead and ordered one of these. It is sold as a “Gabacha” knife.

From Wikipedia: Gabacho (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡaˈβatʃo]; feminine, gabacha) is a word used in the Spanish language to describe foreigners of different origins. In Spain it is used as a pejorative reference to someone French, coming from the Catalan word gavatx which translates as foreigner.:p!
Yes and no.
The term "gabacho" is used in different countries to refer to the northern neighbor, in our case France.
 
Yes and no.
The term "gabacho" is used in different countries to refer to the northern neighbor, in our case France.
Thanks. So basically they are calling it a “French knife”, without necessarily the pejorative connotations implied by Wikipedia. That makes me feel a little better about it...
 
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