Episode 4. TOOL BACKSTORIES
Sometimes we get tools walk in that have a bit of a BACKSTORY & these FOUR DISSTON SAWS in that category - you saw them on our FIRST TOOL BACKSTORY reel back in March (please check it in HERE ) - they were owned by a Mr. ALFRED ROSE, a young Australian carpenter went to fight in the Great War / WW1 1914-1918. He packed up his saws & tools when he left & stored them safely.
Alfred Rose died at Messines in Belgium on the 7th of June 1917, the first day of the Battle of Messines. He was 25 years old. The photo shown is taken when he left Melbourne.
Alfred left for England in June 1916 and trained as a machine gunner on the Salisbury Plains. After 10 weeks he was shipped to Armentieres in France where he saw action and was gassed.
In early June 1917 his battalion marched from Armentieres to Messines where they rested for 3 days before the battle started on the 7th.
Alfred was in the second wave over the top (1pm) and was killed by mortar fire shortly after.
Alfred is buried at the Sanctuary Woods Cemetery in Ypres Belgium.
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These four DISSTON SAWS are all of
1896-17 manufacture, 1x 8ppi D8 finish crosscut, 1x 5ppi D8 coarse framing crosscut, 1x 6ppi crosscut D112 & 1 x 4ppi D8 thumb hole rip, freshly cleaned & hand sharpened & tuned by @jimthesawman
All of the saws are MARKED by ALFRED with his initials on the handles, however when Jim cleaned the saw plate of the D8 thumb hole rip, it was revealed that Alfred had etched his INITIALS in a gothic font into his saw plate along with a solitary ROSE.
Now these SAWS go to their new owner, a man who has a deep appreciation of hand tools & timber & who has a holistic approach to his trade & craft. A man who also has the utmost respect for the HISTORY & significance of these saws & who is keeping them together, as they have been for well over 100 years.
May they keep Alfreds MEMORY ALIVE in their own way as they travel through time, a young man who gave his all in the prime of his life for King & County.
Lest we forget.
