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.