MacAdams Trench Shield Spade

By Crusader1307

Not to be undone by The French, England too, attempted to create personnel defensive devices that soldiers could deploy to survive Trench Warfare. One novelty was The MacAdams Shield Shovel of 1914. A combination device, it featured a 4.5 foot collapsing wooden handle. The spade itself was 2 feet in width and featured 1 (to 3) cut openings. A soldier could lay in the “prone firing position” and place the shield to his front (in the earth). A rifle barrel would be placed through on of the holes (allowing the soldier to fire). The spade iwas over 1 inch thick (and incredibly worked). Weighing 5 pounds, even the US attempted to incorporate a version. Although 25,000 were produced The MacAdams never really caught on. However, his designs for a portable and folding personal digging implement would.

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