Forestry Memories

Butterfly wire tensioner — Swastika mark

The picture is courtesy of Malcolm Wield, Glenurquhart, who writes:

‘This old butterfly wire tensioner was given to me by Fred Webster, Head Forester at Barcaldine, around 1980. He had recovered it from a 1930’s fence above the main block, although it could have appeared later during a period of fence maintenance’.

Searches have indicated that there are several instances of this Swastika marked tensioner appearing in other localities.

One theory is that it may have been produced in Germany after 1935 when the swastika was adopted as the national emblem and manufacturers were encouraged to use the design.

The swastika symbol appears to have its very distant origins of many thousands of years ago in Asia and in particular India as a symbol of divinity and spirituality and was used thereafter in many cultures with both clockwise and anti clockwise turns (In Sanskrit - swastika and sauvastika) and also with the inclusion of dots or other marks. It is still an important symbol in the religions of India.

Malcolm has also discovered that the Swastik Wire Company in Nagpur in India uses this symbol and currently produces many wire products and no doubt exports around the world. It is possible that this or other companies supplied products, with the mark embedded, to wire suppliers in the UK and they then appeared in fences.

Does anyone know of these Swastika marked products being used elsewhere and their source?

Any information would be very welcome.

Groups: Mystery and unknown, Tools, equipment and clothing

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