Weird trade knife ?

[Yvain]

Hi all,


Found this strange piece at the the flea market. French knife ("batisse" brand) , maybe with replacement grip (?), in wooden sheath covered with tool leather.


No idea of where it went after it left France, I welcome any information !


Thanks in advance for your help !

[RobT]

Yvain,

I did a search using “batisse knife” and found these two sites on line. The first site listed shows a knife with a blade identical to yours but the hilt is different. The example shown is said to be a WWI French trench knife with an 11” blade.
To me (from what I can see), there is nothing on the hilt on your knife inconsistent with European factory manufacture. I think the fish inlay is a shark. The sheath looks northern African.

https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/italian-militaria/wwii-knife-brought-back-italy-139568/

https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_forum/viewtopic.php?t=12981

Sincerely,
RobT