Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. Purchased directly from David F. Machnicki, the author of At Arm's Length Trench Clubs and Knives (Vol. 1), where this very club is featured on page 28. Please note that the attached page image from the book is copyrighted material and the use of the page is done by permission of the author. A printed copy of the page will accompany the purchase of this club.

The entry reads:

“This is a massive example of a trench club that was constructed entirely from a single piece of wood. And at the time of writing, its country of origin or manufacture has remained undetermined. Its length approximates 663mm and has a mass of 1137 grams. And as one can see, this is a simple but highly effective design that was most likely created in the trench by using readily available materials and tools to construct its primitive shape. The entire length of the club has been “roughed out” and appears to gradually narrow from its head to its pommel. A 19mm hole was drilled through the pommel and serves for the attachment of its leather wrist strap or lanyard. A throwback to our Neanderthal past.”

This is a fantastic documented example of a very crude but effective all-wooden trench club, which we believe to be of either German or British origin. There is very heavy woodworn damage across the club as shown with heavy cracking in some spots. The portion of the leather wrist strap remaining shows good patina, and this certainly is a throwback to our Neanderthal past as Machnicki mentions. 

One that will fit well into any WWI collection.

Trench raiding clubs were homemade melee weapons used by both the Allies and the Central Powers during World War I. Clubs were used during nighttime trench raiding expeditions as a quiet and effective way of killing or wounding enemy soldiers. The clubs were usually made out of wood. It was common practice to fix a metal object at the striking end (e.g. an empty Mills bomb) in order to maximize the injury inflicted. Another common design comprised a simple stave with the end drilled out and a lead weight inserted, with rows of large hobnails hammered in around its circumference. Most designs had some form of cord or leather strap at the end to wrap around the user's wrist. Bosnian soldiers serving in the Austro-Hungarian army were fond of using maces. They were also used by officers to finish enemy soldiers wounded by poison gas attacks.

Trench clubs were manufactured in bulk by units based behind the lines. Typically, regimental carpenters and metal workers would make large numbers of the same design of club. They were generally used along with other "quiet" weapons such as trench knives, entrenching tools, bayonets, hatchets and pickaxe handles – backed up with revolvers and hand grenades.