Looking for information on Brades Co L.M.S. Hatchet

[R3licHunt3r]

Hello, new guy collecting edged weapons, and also new to the forum here. I have a hatchet that I'm looking to get more information on. The piece is pictured below, and stamped Brades Co over L.M.S. on the blade. Attempting to research that specifically doesn't seem to show me anything that looks like what I have here, leading me to believe this piece may have been modified sometime during it's life..... but if that is the case, the question is for what?


It would be interesting to know if anybody has any idea what this is, and what is may have been used for. I have a SJ English Fire Service Axe that looks similar but its a featherweight in comparison. This Brades piece is about 15-3/4" overall length, and 9-3/8" in width, and while I don't have a scale handy, I'd say it is between 4-5 lbs overall weight.



Thanks in advance for your time.

Regards,

R3licHunt3r

 

[Gato do mato]

It looks like a classic sailor's axe to me. But I'm not familiar with this specific model.

These are British Navy models:

 

[rjdankert]

FWIW:

also:

Bob

 

[R3licHunt3r]

I appreciate all the information. Here is a picture of a few different boarding or firemans type hatchets that I own for some size comparisons. I believe the one's I have pictured here are very similar to the one's noted above as far as size and design go. I'm not sure what the correct terminology is, but on the hatchet in question, the steel extends down the handle quite a bit longer than the others, and every part of he hatchet is larger in any measurement you take. It feels much larger, and heavier in the hands than any example I've handled in the past. The detail that has thrown me off the most, is that I haven't seen another firemans hatchet or boarding hatchet that has 3 pins in the handle... all have 2 like the examples you all have shared.

 

[R3licHunt3r]

Okay, so just had a pretty cool breakthrough while replying in the previous post. I think I have a Long Handled London Midland Scottish Railway Axe made by Brades Co, that has been cut down to a hatchet length handle. 1930 maybe.

 

[R3licHunt3r]

Here is the only picture I can find of what the piece would have been like originally.

 

[R3licHunt3r]

I looked through a copy of the 1922 data referenced above, but didn't find anything about this configuration. The London Midland and Scottish (LMS) Railway was formed in 1923, so that makes sense. I also found a catalog from 1934 though, I believe, and could not find anything in there either on first pass. The LMS Railway nationalized a few years after World War II... so it didnt exist for that long overall. At first, I thought it was odd for this particular design to be found in a railway maintenance shop, but then I found a book that mentions the LMS had their own fire brigade. Now it seems quite likely that the LMS's Fire Brigade group contracted Brades to custom make theses specifically for their use.




I would say any members of the LMS Fire Brigade where likely in fighting shape and went to the war... but maybe some of the longer tenure employees where considered too old. If that was the case, I imagine those individuals may have got involved with the Auxiliary Fire Service at that point. A lot of new rabbit holes to go down and research but both war, and urban city fire fighting could have warranted the modification/shorted handle.

Here are some cool pictures of Auxillary Fire Services (AFS) in action leading up to or during the war. If I understand it right, the AFS is what became that National Fire Service just before Britain and US declared war on Japan.







If anybody happens to have access to any documentation that shows or discusses this item or history, I'd really like to hear about it!

 

[Hickory n steel]

Yep , it looks like somebody took the larger axe and modified it to look more like some kind of battle axe.

 

[PhilipWimberly]

This is a fascinating thread, R3licHunt3r! Thanks. A corner of the axe world I've never looked into. I've never heard the term "sailor's" axe or "boarding" axe, but I'm really interested now (even though this one appears to have been Fire). Googling now, but very interested in what anyone can say about Sailors' and Boarding axes.
Man! I'm hoping Boarding has a military and/or Pirate connection to attacking wooden ships...

 

[R3licHunt3r]

Thanks PhilipWimberly! I'm no expert, just someone who enjoys researching things of the past. This one was a fun one... and I'm sure you are finding a lot of great information online. You will have no problem finding the connections you are looking for! Here is a image by William Gilkerson, from a interesting read you will find on google that discusses some of the boarding axes used in the 1700-1800's.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Most axes sold as boarding axes are, in fact, various forms of fire axes or hatchets, especially European varieties of them. Just like countless lawn and agricultural tools are sold as whaling tools or icehouse tools, and many wine- and cider-press tools are sold as executioner's axes. Selling a fantasy rather than the reality. Boarding axes do exist, of course, but they are very scarce compared to various forms of fire axes, for obvious reasons. Very few people need to forcibly board enemy ships. Every municipality has to deal with fires, especially historically before we had methods of home illumination that didn't use an active flame and before modern fire-resistant building materials were widespread.