Pickaxe dimensions

[Colin Alford]

Rob,

Good find!

The Hercules name prompted me to do some searching.

I found the attached logo, and the trademark description for the US parent company here:

https://bizstanding.com/p/hercules+w...orld-106131991

My read on Rob’s enlarged version of the Factory Photos image is that the bottom banner differs from the US version. I believe it reads “Canadian Turner Day Handle Co.”

A search for “Canadian Turner Day Handle Co” returned few results but this website identifies the Stratford, ON company as being associated with Welland Vale Mfg Co.: http://yesteryearstools.com/Yesterye...ale%20Co..html

My presumption is that Welland Vale was contracted to supply two types of pick axes: The British military type for Universal Carrier and Valentine Tank contracts, and the “Standard Commercial” type for other vehicles including CMPs. We also know that Welland Vale produced the “Bulldog” shovels that were supplied with most Canadian vehicles.

I think it is likely that a correct handle for a CMP would have this Hercules logo, but the head (helve) would likely be produced and marked by Welland Vale.

Does anyone have a “Standard Commercial” type head marked WV with a wartime date?

Colin

[David Herbert]

Colin and Rob,

What a great piece of research, well done !

David

[Colin Alford]

Gents,

In post number 16, Alex included an image from the factory photos showing the rear end of a HUP.

A closer view of this photo reveals another manufacturer for pick handles on-hand in Oshawa.

Please see the attached close-ups.

Colin

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

Yes Hanno. The British style has a steel wrap that the pick head sits on. The handles you show would be U.S style.
There is a British miners pick in the same style, but it is substantially smaller. It is about half way between the Vehicle one and the infantry one that has the webb cover and the mine thingy on some handles. I'm not very knowledgeable on them either.

That's probably the "Mattock, Telegraph", which has a pick and horizontal blade head and a steel wedge on the tip of the helve (presumably to aid in burying cables, as it wouldn't last long if used as a prybar).

I have an unissued one in the hoard, er: collection, but the helve was supplied 'unfinished' and won't go through the hole in the mattock head - I need to take a spokeshave to it, I suppose.

Chris.

[Lang]

Not as complete as Collin's post but Welland Vale Story from another site. Interesting how there are small differences.

http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com...s-country.html

[rob love]

I was at one of the QMs on base to pick up some old tarpaulins to use here at the museum. The Sgt invited me to look down a row of shelving to look for anything MLVW, which are now obsolete, to see if we wanted it. While I found nothing of interest for the MLVW, I did spot two lonely no2 handles sitting by themselves. There was a stack of heads, but all were the US style. I pointed out that the handles would not fit the US heads, and a quick check showed they went right through. So they were added to the donation to the museum.

Although painted over the years, they were in fairly good condition, with one missing the lower ring. That one still has remnants of the Hercules decal on it, along with the Turner Day stamped on the handle. It was slightly shorter than the other one, at just 35 inches.
The second handle is a new one on me. It is embossed "Excelsior" and "2" on one side, and on the other side is "ST MARYS BEAVER" "Hespeler" which is located in Ontario, Canada. I was able to clean dis-assemble it, repaint the metal parts and clean the paint off the handle. That one will be going back to that unit on their Mk1 carrier which I am finishing off. It is 36" in length, which is a perfect fit for the carrier.

The head is one of the WV43 marked heads.