| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | REL33715 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Personal Equipment |
| Physical description | Steel, Wood |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Germany |
| Date made | c 1914-1918 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
Infantry shovel : German Army
Description
Imperial German Army infantry shovel. The shovel has a short (350 mm) wooden handle ending in a ball finial like the German Army issue entrenching tool. The steel blade has a smoothly rounded tip, and appears to be the same design as the standard long handled German Army shovel. There is a length of hemp rope knotted around the handle.
History / Summary
This shovel is thought to have been brought to Australia as a souvenir by Brigadier Sydney Charles Edgar Herring AIF, who served throughout the First World War, temporarily commanding 13 Battalion before becoming the the first CO of its daughter unit, 45 Battalion. In 1918 he was promoted to command 13 Infantry Brigade, before returning to Australia in May 1919. Herring stood unsuccessfully as a Nationalist candidate for the Senate in 1924, and served again in Australian Military Forces during the Second World War. He died at his Killara home in 1951.