CANADIAN ROYAL WINNIPEG RIFLES M43 FOLDING SHOVEL AND BLACK SHOVEL COVER

This is a M43 folding shovel with a black canvas shovel cover used by the Royal Winnipeg Rifles. This M1943 e-tools was made by Ames Baldwin Wyoming Co. and comes with the AMES maker mark. The shovel is also dated 1944.  Doesn't show up well in the image but you can see the date on the shovel itself.

There is one lift the dot stud popped out of the material but still there as shown in the image.

Nicknamed the "Little Black Devils", they are based at the Minto Armoury in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  The Royal Winnipeg Rifles were known for dying all their field gear black to match their nick name.

The Royal Winnipeg Rifles are a Primary Reserve, one-battalion infantry regiment, of the Canadian Army. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles are part of 3rd Canadian Division's 38 Canadian Brigade Group.

In WWII the Rifles were part of the first wave of landings on D-Day.  They fought throughout the Normandy campaign, including the famous battles off Caen and the Falaise Gap. 

After liberating several Chanel Ports, the Rifles also fought to clear the Scheldt Estuary, to help reopen the Antwerp Harbour.  Also aiding in liberating the Netherlands the Winnipeg Rifles ended WWII preparing to assault Aurich, Germany.

After the war the 3rd battalion remained in Germany until 1946.

Received from the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Museum, Canada. The museum was selling off some of there museum’s items, to make room for more. The museum called it deaccessioning surplus museum artifacts.