WWI Army Gillettes

[dwald]

My grandfather served during the First World War, guarding captured Germans in Le Havre, France. That placed him among the early safety shavers, of course, and I have some questions.

Grandmother kept much of his shaving gear (mostly now lost), which I saw many years ago. I remember an open-comb, three-piece razor with a knob on the handle--was that his army Gillette? I don't recall it being marked "Property of the US Army." So, could it have been a later Gillette model from after the war, instead? Also, did anybody else provide safety razors to the army, and what did they look like?

The family recollection is that he used both his pre-war straight and army Gillette after the war until splurging on a set of blue/silver/red Super Speeds in the 1950s. I have the Red Tip, which must have been his favorite.

If that was his army razor, I hope that it will turn up somewhere in the family.

[BPman]

http://mr-razor.com/Rasierer/Old%20Type ... %20Set.jpg

[Straight Arrow]

I believe the Khaki Set is a WWI era razor rather than WWII. I think it was offered to the general public as well. Someone with more knowledge---please correct and expand upon what I have stated.

[nicodemus38]

I have seen EVER READY khaki sets labeled as ww2. I have seen auto strop khaki sets labeled as ww2.

For world war one, the razor may not have been an actual military property marked set to begin with. I have seen a large amount of pre us entrance into ww2 advertising standard gileltte "brownie" sets as being well loved by American military men. particularly the navy. those sets normally came with the travel mirror and two large thumb tacks to hang it from.