If you are thinking of taking part in a camping holiday this summer, what will you take? You will certainly need a tent and something comfortable to sleep on. A gas burner to cook the food supplies you packed is also important. You have to eat! And don’t forget a large backpack to carry everything in. If there is any room left, one small item you may wish to include—something very small—is a Swiss Army Knife; a knife with lots of attachments that will always help when you find yourself in one of those difficult camping moments.
The Swiss Army Knife has always been a trusted tool for any camper. Knives like these have been carried around for hundreds of years – they are even mentioned in Herman Melville’s novel, Moby Dick, written in the middle of the 19th century. During the 1880s, the Swiss Army decided that its soldiers should each carry a folding pocket knife. It would have to be useful and be able to help fulfill certain tasks.
At that time, soldiers received their food in tin cans—like baked beans today— so the knife had to include a blade that could help them to open a tin. The gun that Swiss soldiers carried with them required a screwdriver to help take it apart when it was cleaned. A screwdriver was, therefore, also important.
There were other considerations to take into account in the knife’s design. Soldiers often had a lot of spare time on their hands. Of course, they did not have computers or the Internet and there were probably few books to read, so many of them would carve small pieces of wood to help pass the time. This activity is known as whittling and it’s where the phrase, ‘whittling away your time,’ comes from. The Swiss Army Knife included a sharp blade which could be used to whittle wood.
When the Swiss Army came to ordering the first 15,000 Swiss Army Knives, it found that there were no factories in Switzerland to make them. Its order went to a German factory. Karl Elsener was Swiss, and with his mother owned a company that made surgical knives for hospitals. He decided to design a special knife for Swiss Army officers. The design included a special spring that would allow different tools to be attached to both sides of the knife. This meant that his knife could include twice the amount of attachments than the German design. The knife had a red handle with a small white cross – the symbol of the Swiss flag. This remains the logo of the Swiss Army Knife today.
The original name for Elsener’s knife was the ‘Offiziersmesser’. American soldiers at the end of World War II found this difficult to pronounce. They began to call it the Swiss Army Knife and it is still called this today – and every camper should have one.
Question:
How to use the various functions of a Swiss Army Knife
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