Original British WWI Hobnail Trench Club with Lead Filled Center – From Personal Collection David F. Machnicki Author of At Arm’s Length Series Original Items

Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Purchased directly from David F. Machnicki, the author of At Arm’s Length Trench Club book Series. We were told that this club will be featured in the upcoming Volume three of the series.

The design for this British trench club is attractive featuring a a single piece of wood which was later sanded, stained and varnished. It’s length approximates 17 inches and has a mass of 1.1 lbs. Hobnails of a triple-cloverleaf design were hammered into the club’s head. The center at the top of the club was hollowed out and filled with lead. A nail was then used to anchor the leaded center of this club. The handle tapers gradually away from the head to form a decorative step 3 inches above the top of its turned grip. Carved into the grip are 11 regularly spaced grooves. A hole was drilled above the flat pommel for a lather lanyard a portion of which is still retained.

Total Length: 17 inches
Diameter at top: 2 inches
Diameter at base1.25 inches
Weight: 1.1 lbs

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.