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World War I-era German trenching spade that was found near Les Eparges, France. Les Esparges is a village in northeastern France that experienced a fierce battle in 1915 and saw fighting throughout the war. James C. Hughes found the spade while serving in France in 1918. Born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1888, Hughes served in the Mexican Border Conflict, World War I, and World War II. In 1942, he was captured by the Japanese on the Bataan peninsula and spent the next 41 months in various Japanese P.O.W. camps. He was liberated by Russian forces at Camp Hoten, Manchuria, in 1945. Hughes died in 1964 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Date: between 1914 and 1919
Item Number: 313972
Call Number: 1957.138.48
KSHS Identifier: 1957.138.48
Collections - Museum - Special exhibits - Captured exhibition
Date - 1910s
Military - Service - Army
Military - Wars - World War I
Objects and Artifacts - Tools & Equipment for Science & Technology - Armament - Armament, Accessory - Shovel, Entrenching Carrier
People - Notable Kansans - Hughes, Col. James C.
Places - International - France
Thematic Time Period - World War I, 1914 - 1919
Type of Material - Objects and Artifacts
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/313972