August 2002
"Mystery" knife
As suggested by several folks, we are adding this page to gather what information we can about edged items of unknown origin or backgrounds. We will print what information we do have on them and any theories anyone may have right here on this page. Hit me with your best shot to stimulate the thought process.
Can you guess what we are featuring this month? A hint is that if you read the Current Knotes page you already know. That's right we are featuring the Crozier Technical High School knife?
We can't show you a photo as that is what we are after. We will list the two write ups we have already featured just to bring it back to mind, we are pressing on this only because of the political significance it could have.
April 2002 Update
Crozier Technical High School
Who can help me with this one? Anyone live in the Dallas Texas area? It seems that the Crozier Technical High School in Dallas Texas wanted to help out in the war effort. As it was a vocational type school and metal working was on the curriculum it made sense to use that talent in the best way possible. In response to the call for knives for departing servicemen the school under took the mission to supply them, by the middle of 1944 they had supplied over one thousand knives for the war effort. Now for the tricky part, what did they look like? Has anybody seen one? Can you share it with us? As the school has since been closed they can not be contacted directly for information. I called the Dallas Public Library and spoke with the Texas History Department. After a short conversation and a few ideas I wrote out a letter and forwarded it to Amy who promised to run it down with the information available to her in that department. Let’s hope she can find it. Perhaps a few year books with the graduating class of 1943, 44 or 45 would show us an example? With over one thousand made by school boys this would be an awesome item to find and to make a high profile example out of. Perhaps those turned wooden handled sword blade knives were made by the school or the cast aluminum handles? Perhaps they made knives with black hose handles and knuckle guards, that would be a pisser wouldn’t it?? Knuckle knives made in a high school and attributed to the OSS! In today’s school a student would be suspended for carrying a set of nail clippers and in 1944 they were producing fighting knives in bulk. Says a little bit about society doesn’t it? This is one we need to run down.
August 2002 Update
Crozier Technical High School Knives.
This one still has us perplexed. Thousands of knives were made by the students during World War Two for the men fighting on the fronts. We pretty much have the story nailed down but a photo of one of the knives still eludes us. What did they look like? With over a thousand made surely one has survived. We have enlisted the help of the Dallas Public Library, the Dallas Historical Society, and concerned citizens of the area. Still nothing in the way of a photo. The school is slated to be razed in the interest of progress, a strip mall most likely but that we are unsure of. The Dallas School Board does not have any information it can use to help us in the search. Several Dallas area history bulletin boards have been contacted and queries posted, no luck. The Crozier Tech Alumni Association has been sent several letters but no response has been forth coming. The search is now on for a possible yearbook if one was even published. Many companies and schools did not publish during the war in an effort to conserve paper. If anyone has even a shred of evidence we would be delighted to hear from you. At this point we are asking for guesses. The knives were made from old files and power hacksaw blades discarded from war plants for the most part. Forged in the metal shops the knives were shaped and ground. The wood shop made "bois de arc" handles for the knives, while others were given round steel handles welded on in three plies over the tang of the knife. Two types were made, the "Texas Bowie Knife", and a "Scalping Knife." As we constantly hear of students being expelled for nail clippers, plastic butter knives and pocket nail files we would love to write a large "human interest" piece on the topic of how the times have changed. The bonus would be identifying the knives for what they really are and paying tribute to the kids who helped to equip our men in the countries time of need.