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  1. #1
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    Taylor Eye Witness fighting knife

    I'm looking for some information on a knife that has been in my gear box for almost 30 years. I got it in trade from a friend in Canadaicon, and all I know about it is it belonged to his uncle, a Canadian who enlisted in the US Marines and served in Vietnam.
    I posted a question on a Milsurp Facebook Group and got a little bit of info, but thought I'd try here as well. I'm hoping maybe someone here can maybe shed some more light on it.

    It's a Taylor Eye Witness made in Sheffield, Englandicon.
    Basically, what I know is that these were frequently bought and carried by US and British servicemen during WW2.

    I had the original sheath but it pretty much disintegrated. It was moldy and cracking and finally gave up the ghost, so I made this one about 20 years ago.

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    Looks as if it could be partly based on the Fairbairn Sykes fighting knife design, especially the blade.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairbairnSykes_fighting_knife

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    Quote Originally Posted by 1187Shooter View Post
    these were frequently bought and carried by US and Britishicon servicemen during WW2.
    That's about it too. A friend of mine had two sitting around his living room years back and told me about them. Just another knife for combat use...purpose made at the time, as you say WW2. The scabbard was a hunting knife type and not very durable looking.
    Regards, Jim

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    Nice.
    Wonder if it's worth the same over here?
    I'm guessing probably not.
    I wish I'd have dug a little deeper into it's history... I was in too much of a hurry to join the Marines myself.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Flying10uk View Post
    Apparently the firm is still in business
    Most are, look at the Germanicon companies that made stuff for WW2.
    Regards, Jim

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    Sheffield was and still is to a certain extent the epicentre of the U.K.'s steel and cutlery production. It was a high priority target for the Luftwaffe during WW2 and my mother well remembers seeing, in the distance, the redness in the sky after dark caused by the fires burning and hearing the Germanicon bombers targeting Sheffield.

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