Soldiers dug more than 1,500 miles of trenches in World War I. Trenches were about three to six feet wide, and about nine feet deep. They were dug in zigzag lines, and often had several levels that soldiers could access by connecting paths. It took an average of 450 soldiers six hours to dig more than 800 feet of trenches. 

This trench shovel was used by 370th United States Infantry, 93rd Division, which was made up of African American troops from Illinois, under French command.