Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908 (the Sirhind tool)
Introduced by List of Changes entry §14796 dated 22nd October 1908, 23rd July 1909 & 8th October 1909, the Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908 - Head, and the Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908 - Helve are not, course, Web equipment of any sort, but these items are inextricably related to Web Equipment, Pattern 1908.
The Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908 was based on the "Sirhind" tool used by the Indian army, and the Patt. '08 Entrenching tool was and is still commonly called the Sirhind tool. It is made in two separable pieces, the Head and the Helve.
Army Order 267/1923 officially declared the Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908 - Head, and the Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908 - Helve obsolete. It would be resurrected later under as the Implement, entrenching, pattern 1908 under ACI 2339 on 26th November, 1941, for service in another War.
Note on spelling - In the original List of Changes entry for the Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908, and in most (but not all) official documentation until about 1939, the word is spelled "intrenching". Occasionally, though the spelling "entrenching" slips in, apparently depending on the whim of the War Office clerk on duty at the time. Following the 1939 reintroduction of the Sirhind tool as "Implements, entrenching, 1937 pattern", the "en-" spelling has become today's norm. I have taken a "neither here nor there" approach to this problem. In direct quotations I've used the original spelling, whilst in references to the item itself I've taken the conventional "en-" usage.
Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908 - Head
These photos show an early issue Entrenching tool head. The Head is of cast steel, has a pointed spade blade on one end, and a pick on the other.This example is maker marked "LUCAS" and dated 1909. From the Karkee Web Collection.
A side view showing the depth of the Tool through the "eye".
Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908 - Head, Mark II
The Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908 - Head, Mark II replaced the Mark I issue with List of Changes entry §15905, dated 4th August 1911. This design modification decreased the depth of the Tool head though the "eye" where the Helve is inserted, and also changed the shape slightly to bring it exactly in concurrence with the Sirhind tool. This Mark II example is maker marked "F.J. BRADES & SONS" and dated 1914. From the Karkee Web Collection.
A side view showing the reduced depth of the Mark II Tool through the "eye".
Occasionally an Entrenching tool head turns up with a rounded front instead of the usual pointed one. This not a "rare design variant" or "trials version" , as one optimistic seller on a well-known internet auction site would have us believe. Instead, the pleasantly rounded nose is testiment to years of faithful service in someone's back garden. From the Karkee Web Collection.
Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908 - Head (Australian version)
During the Great War, a version of the Patt. '08 Entrenching tool head was produced in Australia that was not a single casting, but was instead made of pieces of shaped steel riveted together. This example is maker marked "Brown & Son Melbourne" and dated 1917. From the Graham Tweeddale Collection. Photographs © Graham Tweeddale 2009.
Implement, Intrenching, pattern 1908 - Helve
The Intrenching, pattern 1908 - Helve is a sturdy piece of ash or hickory, about 16 1/2-inches long, with a steel ferrule at one end. It is inserted through the eye of the Tool head. The Helve was unchanged throughout its original service life. Late in WWII, however, after the Implement, entrenching, pattern 1908 had been brought back into service, a Mk. II variant of the Helve would be introduced by ACI 976 dated June 1944. This version had an adapter fitting on the end, so that a "spike" Bayonet from the Lee-Enfield No. 4 Rifle could be fitted to it, for use as a mine probe. This is a Mk. I example. The maker mark is unreadable, but it is dated 1911. From the Karkee Web Collection.
