WW1 BRITISH ENTRENCHING HELVE AND HEAD (SPADE), 1914

Part of the standard equipment issued during WW1.
All soldiers were expected and trained to dig trenches using this tool. Using a mattock which is similar to this tool is much easier than a spade especially in hard ground

See Item A0994

Your comments:

• yes - these used as stated by Ian. - but they were sometimes used in 'trench digging' to loosen up harder ground in preparation for faster removal of material using the shovel. - just as today we use spades or mattocks for digging (breaking up) ground and shovels for quick 'shifting' of material.
  .......... jim baker, moreton wirral, 26th of January 2015
  
  
• Actually a normal sized shovel was used to dig trenches as rule. The Entrenching Tool was used for the digging of Latrines or shallow graves for the burial of bodies. Sometime the 'Pick' end was honed by a soldier into a sharp point & the tool was then used as a Trench Club.
  .......... Ian Houghton, Westcliff on Sea, Essex, United Kingdom, 26th of March 2012
  
  

A0404