WWI British Entrenching Tool

[AirMechanic]

I know that the WWI British web gear helve holder is rare, but is the entrenching tool itself rare as well?

[GHarvey]

I can only say that from doing WWII re-enacting wwi dated blades crop up quite frequently (no idea about the helves but the blades are obviously dated)... I thought they used the same design of entrenching tool post dunkirk as the wwi ones so they would have used up old stocks and kept issuing them i think.

By that I mean that i'd have thought they would have stayed on the stores lists longer rather than being sold off or wrecked as obsolete which in turn would make them more commonplace today.

In short I think a wwi dated entrenching tool is still very collectable but probably not as much as the carrier.

even wwii pattern carriers are shooting up in price now, they used to be about a quid or two a few years back and are now going for 15 to 20 pounds.

[tubist73]

The entrenching tool heads are comparatively much more common than the webbing helve holders. As GHarvey says, the heads are easy to date with a good clear stamp but the wooden handles are not so easy to identify. (If anyone has a good tip about telling WW1 and WW2 handles apart, please speak up.)

Just beware that many heads appearing on e**y can be ground dug items cleaned up to look better. The condition of these are variable.

Matthew

[Infanteer]

I've had several WW1 helves over the years that had the date stamped into the wood. I have no idea if they were all dated that way but they most likely were. However, with use the dates can be difficult to see (or totally obliterated) so an apparently undated helve could possibly be WW1 vintage but it would be difficult to prove.