Four Bees: US Model 1910 Shovel Cover, T-Handle M1910 Entrenching Tool Carrier, 1942 B.B.S. Co. , Original and Reproduction Comparison, WW2 US 10th Mountain Division

A while back I did a posting on a reproduction, WW2, Model 1910 T-Handle shovel cover that I aged and set up for display. If you will recall, I picked up the reproduction because I was still trying to find a good, original example. Well, the hunt is over. I found one!

I spotted a "boy scout shovel" for sale that was actually a Model 1943, US folding shovel, in a WW2 dated, Model 1910, original, T-Handle shovel cover. The best part is, I picked the combo up for less than $20 usd delivered! I love it when I find an unexpected deal like that!

This cover was made in 1942 by the B.B.S. Company.

The printed maker's mark and date are a bit faded on my cover, so here is a clearer shot from another cover to give you a better idea of what the new marking would look like.

I'm not sure what the B.B.S. stands for, but I do know that it was a maker that is fairly commonly encountered. What is rare, is the fact that this cover is one of the US 10th Mountain Division covers!

UPDATE: One of my readers left a comment on my WW2, M1910 shovel page that reveals the actual company name that "B.B.S. Co." stands for. " Hi there, ref your mountain shovel cover. B.B.S. Co. is ‘Brauer Bros. Shoe Co.’ It is one of the less common makes of manufacturer of mountain cover I’ve come across and quite sought after. Hope this helps. " Mystery solved!

What makes this a Mountain Division Cover, is the placement of the hook hanger on the back.

The standard covers have the hook at the top of the cover. The 10th Mountain Division needed the shovels to ride higher on the mountain rucksack - packs, so they manufactured covers with the hanger at the bottom of the cover. Later, these covers were used in the South Pacific on the Jungle Packs, but they were initially modified for the Mountain Troops.

Mt. Div. Cover on left, Standard Issue on right.

These WW2 dated covers were only made for a very short time, 1942 - 1943. In 1943, the US adopted the Model 1943 Entrenching Tool. The Model 1943 was the classic folding shovel. The Model 1910 T-Handle shovels were then rendered obsolete for issue, or were relegated to state-side reserve troop use until the entire military could be reequipped with folding shovels.

My cover pairs very nicely with my 1943 dated, US Model 1910 T-Handle shovel. It has that "been there, done that" look, which is always nice for a display item.
You can read about my 1943 dated Model 1910 shovel here:
https://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2016/03/us-model-1910-t-handle-shovel-dated.html

Before we get to the photo album for this new cover, I thought I'd do a quick comparison of the original cover and the reproduction that I aged. It is interesting to see them side-by-side. The original is on the left side in the photos.

You can read more about the replica shovel cover here:
https://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2020/02/m-1910-model-1910-us-t-handle-shovel.html