Eassierider Posted 7 November , 2012 Share Posted 7 November , 2012 What have I here? I have it on reasonably reliable authority (from my father) that this has been in the family since well before WWII and in fact was brought home from France or Flanders in WW1, possibly by my great-uncle. I'm no expert on such items (to put it mildly), but I take it from its shape that the haft, at least, is German. But what about the head? Much to my chagrin, there are no markings anywhere and as you can see, it doesn't have the usual "fold-over" reinforcements on the edges. However, a quick internet search threw up the possibility that it's an 1874-pattern German spade, which has no reinforcements and has a similar arrangement to attach it to the haft. So, is it? I assume, by the way, that the serration was added by a previous owner (oh, and the spots of what looks like cement are, in fact...cement, owing to an unfortunate misuse some decades ago, which I've spent the past couple of months trying to remove). Thanks Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eassierider Posted 7 November , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 November , 2012 A few more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eassierider Posted 7 November , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 November , 2012 Sorry, just realised this should really be in "equipment" (unless you count it as a weapon, which I guess it could've been). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRANVILLE Posted 7 November , 2012 Share Posted 7 November , 2012 Sorry, just realised this should really be in "equipment" (unless you count it as a weapon, which I guess it could've been). It would wield much more effectively than the British equivalent & looks like it possibly has?!! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eassierider Posted 8 November , 2012 Author Share Posted 8 November , 2012 Yes, it's had that interesting dent in the serrated edge for as long as I've known it, anyway. I wonder if Uncle Ted retained it for trench raids? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eassierider Posted 9 November , 2012 Author Share Posted 9 November , 2012 I've also been wondering if the head might be French. Does anyone have a pic of a French one for comparison? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 9 November , 2012 Share Posted 9 November , 2012 The French used a tool similar to this early (19th Century to at least 1900). In fact the early French tools handles were just like this one. French Heads usually had the reeinforcing band around the shank. I believe the belgians also had a cutting edge tool but my source for Belgian stuff is not with me right now. Joe Sweeney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 9 November , 2012 Share Posted 9 November , 2012 Quite early in the war the Belgians were issued with a Linnemann Pattern entrenching tool. I believe that the original Danish Linnemann design did indeed have a serrated edge but whether the version issued to the Belgians did is another question. The handle was the same as in the OP. Linnemann Pattern entrenching tools were adopted by many countries - along with the Madsen LMG it was Denmark's main contribution to WW1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRANVILLE Posted 9 November , 2012 Share Posted 9 November , 2012 The serrated edge itrigues me - do you know what particular purpose it served? David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 9 November , 2012 Share Posted 9 November , 2012 The serrated edge itrigues me - do you know what particular purpose it served? David On the original Danish design it was intended for sawing things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 9 November , 2012 Share Posted 9 November , 2012 I checked "Infantry Equipment of European Soldiers, 1900-1914" by Lavisse. The belgians section did not show an etool with serrated edges. I actually have, what I think is, the French model with serrated edges--unmarked ecxept for a British doouble arrow--removed from stores obscelcence mark. Does anyone know anything about the 9137 intrenching tool (first version)--did they have versions with serrated edges??? Joe Sweeney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grovetown Posted 9 November , 2012 Share Posted 9 November , 2012 Joe: check out Lavisse's Comparative Studies of the Field Equipment of the Foot Soldier (1906) as reprinted in Fisch's Field Equipment etc. He shows the Austrian and Dutch tools with a serration if I'm not mistaken. Cheers, GT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 9 November , 2012 Share Posted 9 November , 2012 GT, I have the actual book by Lavisse--I only checked out French and Belgian (Duh). Thanks for the info on Dutch and Austrians. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 9 November , 2012 Share Posted 9 November , 2012 Joe: check out Lavisse's Comparative Studies of the Field Equipment of the Foot Soldier (1906) as reprinted in Fisch's Field Equipment etc. He shows the Austrian and Dutch tools with a serration if I'm not mistaken. Cheers, GT. The KuK tool was also based on the Linnemann Pattern. By WW1 the serrations had been abandoned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eassierider Posted 9 November , 2012 Author Share Posted 9 November , 2012 So it's looking Fench, then? The chances are the family story is correct, as my father tells me he got it from his aunt, my great-uncle's big sister, and took it for sentimental reasons when she died, as a relic of great-uncle Ted. He must have acquired it no later than November 1916, by which time his unit had not yet been to Belgium. He does seem to have been a bit of a collector, actually- amongst other items, we also have a French colonial (Senegalese) bayonet he picked up at Gallipoli. Perhaps he was a Francophile... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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