British 1939 Pattern Entrenching Tool

[@RiflemanMoore]

Some further information is available on Karkee Web - www.karkeeweb.com/patterns/1937/1937_entrenching_tools_tools.html

[@andrewgalea5412]

Great love it when you cover WW2 equipment. Just as an odd fact troops in Malta during the war were not issued with an entrenching tool as the soil is not deep enough to dig a fox hole.

[@longbow2001uk]

I remember picking up about 18 of these a few years ago. Have a few left including a 1939 dated example. Nice bits of kit to own.

[@rogueadventurist5319]

Great information! Especially leading up to the Dunkirk March! Many thanks

[@davidbrennan660]

I have a pair, both with a blade painted Green, I bought them from a camping shop just outside Brixton, London.... in the early nineties (it is now long gone ). I got the 1937 and leather 1939 pattern Carriers using my useless Superhero power to detect obsolete military equipment in odd places.

[@simonsignolet5632]

I noticed these being worn in "World On Fire" and initially thought it was an error until I VAGUELY recalled something about them being mentioned in a Brian L Davis book (if memory serves). Never seen one until now. Thanks. It's good to see an explanation of such an obscure item of kit.

[@RiflemanMoore]

Glad you found it interesting!

[@bassmentality]

Just found this. was a memeber of 10 Para and collected Pig Stickers and would like another.

[@bassmentality]

changed my name and moved to Spain over 30 years ago. Sorry about disjointed chat.

[@Fedorov0814]

Thank you for the wonderful instruction that solve my problems. Really nice channel ！

[@RiflemanMoore]

Thank you, glad you found this useful!

[@petercherrington8512]

Thanks

[@nathansaunders2576]

I had one of these years ago, bought it as German, turned out British. Though it had a German stamp dated 1940 on the handle. Don't know whether it was a re-issued piece post the fall of France or whether it was a fake. Came from an old collection and seems an obscure them to fake.

[@RiflemanMoore]

I'd imagine the German stamp was added in an attempt to bump up the price, German stuff certainly demanded a much higher premium not that long ago and still does to a degree. Back when British kit wasn't as desirable I can see someone trying to 'enhance' something by adding fake German provenance.

[@nathansaunders2576]

I guess we'll never know. The German's certainly used captured British kit, from vehicles, to webbing, to uniforms. Not unreasonable to think the spades and other kit were rounded up and processed for re-issue. The German's also used kit from Czech, Netherlands, Poland...

[@danielf1313]

I have the opposite-a German spade (slightly different dimensions from 39 pattern) with a large date (?) of “32” and some letters punched into the handle and a faint British “ROC 1940/|\ “ marking punched into the blade-came from the neighbour’s shed in Kent back in the early 80s.

[@dienstagmitte3930]

I would love to own one of these!

[@laurentdevaux5617]

A very hard to find WW2 british equipment indeed. And I still wonder why the British had the idea of making this kind of tool, strong and efficient (I still use a 1879 french shovel for gardening...), but clearly outdated in 1939 as it had then nearly 70 years of existence (well, some say russian soldiers still use some now in Ukraine !). Even stranger as I think the classic british entrenching tool we all know is a very good one !

[@andrewdixon3960]

I got my hands on one and I like mine.

[@olivier3847]

6:03

[@NGMonocrom]

Might not be their property, but no intelligent man is going to carry something on his belt that realistically is going to encumber him, and thus risk his life. He's going to ditch it. When or even if asked about it, he'll say he lost it during combat. If they insist he pay for it, then better his wallet get wounded than he does due to that type of gear. Something essentially useless and encumbering.

[@RiflemanMoore]

I think the idea of it encumbering a soldier to the point of being a risk to life is a bit hyperbolic, it's an annoyance though, to be sure.

[@simonsignolet5632]

It's discipline. It can be argued that MOST kit encumbers and so risks life. I think the Soviets and Germans used similar digging tools - and they sharpened one edge to use as a chopping melee weapon. Nasty.