1885 Shovel

Hi Guys,

I thought the members may find this interesting. The shovel is rare but can be found from time to time. The real rarity is the carrier. The loop on the shovel and the carrier are for the bayonet scabbard.

Thanks,

Ypres

What an ingenious handle. Great piece!

Wow, great find!! Never seen one before!

That is certainly a very rare shovel combination.

Was this piece of kit for engineers or pioneers? Though not all that familiar with the different pre-1914 equipment, I don't recall line infantry or riflemen wearing such kit.

Bill,

I believe they were carried by pioneers. I'll double check though

Ypres

Should I be seeing an image of the shovel in the original post? (Nothing there for me ....)

Hi Grant,
The pics are not showing anymore, perhaps Ypres could repost them for us? It's a great piece and I would say rare.

Let me know if you would like any specific photos

Ypres

Thank you sir! Very interesting ....

(British kit? Canadian?)

Grant,

I believe this is of British origin but was used by Canadians, possibly, in the Boer War. I have had difficulty finding references for this. I have seen many examples in the possession of Canadian Museums. They have been displayed in WWI dioramas, which is not correct, but their presence in the buildings would lead me to the hypothesis that they were in Canadian "Hands" at some point .... more research needed on this one. Thanks for your interest.

Ypres