WW2 GERMAN K98 FIREMAN DRESS BAYONET ORIGINAL

This is a German Fireman's Dress Bayonet by Carl Eickhorn Solingen. Comes with shield.

The Carl Eickhorn Waffenfabrik / Stahlwarenfabrik company was founded in 1865 by Carl Eickhorn (1833-89). Eickhorn was a grinder, merchant and manufacturer who descended from a five hundred-year-long steel hardening and grinding ancestry.

The blade measures 25cm in length.  Reverse ricasso is stamped with the logo.  The Eickhorn Solingen makers mark is nice and prominent. 

These were worn by members of the Civic Feuerwehr (Fire Department) for dress and parade occasions.

This dagger was brought home from WWII by Canadian Winnipeg Rifles soldier Ludwig Zimmerman and was received from the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Museum, Canada.  The museum was selling off some of there museum’s items, to make room for more.  The museum called it deaccessioning surplus museum artifacts.

The museum numbers their items for inventory purposes and you will see that there is a very small white numbered sticker/or marking on this item put there by the museum.  They are very easy to remove.

LUDWIG ZIMMERMAN

Dec 24, 1924 – April 21, 2011

Ludwig, better known as ‘Louie’ was born in Roblin Manitoba, on Dec 24, 1924.  Due to the winter weather his parents did not register his birth until the spring of 1925 and therefore the clerk mistakenly put 1925 on his birth certificate.  That event as well as his failed attempt to enlist using an older brother’s identification delayed his entry into the war.  Who knows what the outcome would have been if not for a clerical error.

Louie was with the Winnipeg Rifles and served in Germany and Holland.  Since he spoke German he was also called upon as an interpreter and liaison for the German prisoners.  It was one of these prisoners who wanted him to keep his ceremonial dagger.  This is how Louie came into possession of this dagger.

He was a proud and active member of the Port Alberni Legion for many years.