The French Nail was a type of impromptu weapon made during the Great War by blacksmiths on the front for the troops engaged in trench warfare. The typical bayonets issued at the time were to long for the close-in fighting and hand-to-hand combat that would occur when entrenched positions were over-run or raided, so the soldiers went to the local blacksmiths and farriers and asked them to make shorter, more effective stabbing instruments. Wrought from barbed wire stanchions, the French Nail seems to have been a fairly prevalent design, with many historic examples existing today. The knuckle guard protects the fighter's hand as well as allowing them to use it as an impact device, and the double-edged dagger-style blade pierces exceptionally well and cuts with remarkable easy.
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| French Nail replica, by Blackheart Forge |
My version of the French Nail was forged from a car coil spring and quenched in tallow to give it the blackened finish. The sheath is made from full-grain leather and was stained using neatsfoot oil, for an authentic looking finish. It is available for purchase here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/698511004/wwi-replica-fighting-knife-french-nail?ref=shop_home_active_1
Here are some historic examples of French Nails that were made during the Great War.
At least two that I have found during my research had wooden scabbards with them, for a crude but effective carry method. Below is a photo from what appears to be a genuine French Nail with a leather sheath, but I can't verify the source.
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| German barbed wire stanchion, the principal candidate for recycled blade steel for making trench knives on the front. |
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| Stanchions in use. |
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Scrap metal from the front.
You can see a stanchion buried in there. |
I also found some interesting photos of blacksmiths and mobile smithies from the war.
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| French blacksmiths; the man on the right has a "French" pattern hammer. |
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| Mobile British smithy, 1915 |
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| British farriers, 1915 |
I couldn't find any photos of soldiers carrying French Nails, but here some photos of troops posing with their trench knives. The pattern I notice is that the knives seem to have been worn on the left side, and wielded "tip-down" in a reverse or icepick grip.
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| Dual-wielding a knife and grenade. |
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| The left hand wields the knife in an icepick grip while the right hand holds a revolver. |
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Some of the rifles and bayonets issued during the War.
Note the trend for longer blades. |
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The long bayonet mounted on a rifle gave soldiers tremendous reach,
but in the confines of the trenches a shorter blade proved more useful. |
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| Remington bayonet for the Lee-Enfield rifle. |
