Includes one US 1918 L.F. & C. trench knife with brass handle, separate finger holes, and "skull crusher", one US 1918 Au Lion trench knife with brass handle, separate finger holes, "skull crusher", and correct sheath, and one Everitt WWII knuckle knife with cast aluminum handle having separate finger holes and nicely signed "Everitt". Also includes one "knuckle-duster" type trench knife with skull crusher, cast aluminum handle, and four knobs.


Knuckle Duster knife collection

Divers who discovered a WW2 British type MK17 contactmine of the coast of Petten(Netherlands) warned the Dutch coastguard.They contacted the Dutch Royal Navy who in turn asked for the Belgian minesweeper M916 Bellis to go to the site.The minesweeper was at that time conducting excercises for  Belgian Royal Military School cadets.
Because of the danger for sport divers it was decided to neutralise the British mine.
The Belgian and Dutch Navy have been working closely together  for a mumber of years in the field of mine and explosives clearing.Fishermen discover unexploded mines or bombs from WW1 and WW2 on a weekly basis of the coast of Belgium and the Netherlands.After all these years the danger remains acute.On april 6th ,2005; three crew of a Dutch fishing boat died when a WW2 aircraft bomb exploded when hoisting up the nets on deck.After that accident the search and destroy policy was upgraded.Since 2005  no less than 1062 bombs,mines,grenates and torpedo's have been cleared.We have only a very small Navy but they do a valuable job ;)Btw,the photo is of another Belgian Navy minesweeper,the M921 Lobelia.

British MK17 destroyed

Bernhard Karl "Bert" Trautmann, former sergeant in the Luftwaffe Fallschirmjager, who played over 500 matches for Manchester City Football Club in the English League.

After an adventurous military career (captured, but escaped, from the Soviets, the Americans and the French Resistance), Bert was definitively captured by the British.  After a period of internment in England, he declined an offer of repatriation to Germany, opting to stay in England and develop a career in Association Football (soccer), for which he had shown a talent as a defender and goalkeeper.  He contracted as a goalkeeper with Manchester City (a club for whom I have some affection) in 1949.  Trautmann overcame supporter resistance to a German ex-serviceman playing in an English professional club to become a club hero.  The "highlight" of his career came in the 1956 Football Association Cup Final.  Trautmann suffered an injury - that turned out to be a broken neck - in the 75th minute of the Final, but played on, helping to assure City of a 3-1 victory.

Bert Trautmann died today, 19 July, 2013, aged 89.  A brave man in peace and war.  Ar dheis Dé a Anam.  JR.