JACK-KNIFE

Jackspeak - A guide to Royal Navy and Royal Marines Slanguage.

Jack-Knife large

Many chaps and a few chappesses of a certain age will remember the thrill of owning a pearl handled penknife as a lad or ladette. It was a bit of a right of passage. If you were into fishing, camping, playing 'stretch' then you needed a knife.

This is the "penknife" issued to HM Forces. Earlier versions, like the one permanently borrowed from my possession were grey. There is obviously a stout blade, a device for removing horses from Boy Scouts, a stubby screwdriver, a loop for attaching the knife securely to your belt and last but by no means least, a marlin spike for working rope when splicing. The knife weighs 147 grams.

The Royal Marines have their own assault engineers, lads who are trained to blow up inconvenient obstacles and create playgrounds for the lads to amuse themselves on. These engineers are permitted to carry one of these knives, attached by a lanyard around their waist, a recognition of their skills. The rest of us just kept it in a pocket, in recognition of the fact that if we left it lying around it would walk. :-)