Objects Database

Cornelius Whitehouse Ice Axe

Accession Number

1033.2012.1

Object Name

Cornelius Whitehouse Ice Axe

Created

07/11/2012

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

07/11/2012

Brief Description

Cornelius Whitehouse Ice Axe, steel head, wooden shaft, adze, serrated pick. Metal ring around wooden shaft, wrist leash attached. Screw, in wooden shaft, to prevent metal ring coming away from axe. Pointed spike on ferrule.

Materials

wood, steel, canvas

Dimensions

28.5(head) x 62(l) x 6.5 (d) cm

Number Of Objects

1

Inscription Description

On head in a rectangular box"CORNELIUS WHITEHOUSE AND SONS LTD, CANNOCK, ENGLAND" Also "↑ 1944"

Colour

silver,brown

Maker

Cornelius Whitehouse & Sons Ltd.

Object Production Place

Cannock, England

Object Production Date

1944

Provenance

Cornelius Whitehouse & Sons - makers of the ice-axe we have here in the collection - were one of Britain's best known manufacturers of wooden handled tools in the early 1900's and interestingly, many of their products, such as axes, billhooks, braces, hedging tools etc. are very collectable nearly 100 years later and come up for sale regularly on the internet.
It's no surprise therefore that the War Department asked them to produce a batch of ice-axes in 1944, presumably for issue to mountain troops. Loads of gear became surplus to requirement when the war ended in 1945 and was sold off to an eager outdoor market. Whether or not the original owner of this axe, Robert Fraser, bought it ex WD or was issued it we are not sure, but he was in the RAF and became one of their first dog handlers - we think in the 1950's. He subsequently donated the axe to his nephew (in law), George Bruce, hillman and long serving member of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team. George kindly passed it on to us.
British made ice-axes are a bit of a rarity, especially from the early days, with the majority of axes being imported from the continent, so this is a very nice and pretty rare addition to our collection.
NB The shaft has been shortened a little from the original.

Acquisition Method

Donated by George Bruce

Acquisition Date

07/11/2012

Condition Check Date

07/11/2012

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

07/11/2012

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