Original Item: Only One Available. While this isn’t exactly a 14th Century medieval goedendag, these trench clubs are often referred to as such due to their appearance. While pinpointing trench clubs to a certain country, we have seen these as being used by German soldiers during WW1. A goedendag was a weapon originally used by the militias of Medieval Flanders in the 14th century, notably during the Franco-Flemish War. The goedendag was essentially a combination of a club with a spear. Its body was a wooden staff roughly three to five feet (92 cm to 150 cm) long with a diameter of roughly two to four inches (5 cm to 10 cm). It was wider at one end, and at this end a sharp metal spike was inserted by a tang.

This is a fantastic example of a World War One German trench raiding mace or club with 6 knobs around the circumference and a pointed one on tob. Its length approximates 13 inches and has a mass of nearly 2 lbs. The diameter of the head from one point to another is approximately 3 inches. The wood has aged wonderfully and may have originally been a billy club by its appearance. This is shorter than most encountered and the handle itself may have been made from a recycled entrenching too. We believe it to be an original. An incredible example of a nearly impossible to find Great War Trench Mace.

A near identical example found at the Imperial War Museum link here.

Trench raiding clubs were homemade melee weapons used by both the Allies and the Central Powers during World War I. Clubs were used during nighttime trench raiding expeditions as a quiet and effective way of killing or wounding enemy soldiers. The clubs were usually made out of wood. It was common practice to fix a metal object at the striking end (e.g. an empty Mills bomb) in order to maximize the injury inflicted. Another common design comprised a simple stave with the end drilled out and a lead weight inserted, with rows of large hobnails hammered in around its circumference.

Most designs had some form of cord or leather strap at the end to wrap around the user's wrist. Bosnian soldiers serving in the Austro-Hungarian army were fond of using maces. They were also used by officers to finish enemy soldiers wounded by poison gas attacks.

Trench clubs were manufactured in bulk by units based behind the lines. Typically, regimental carpenters and metal workers would make large numbers of the same design of club. They were generally used along with other "quiet" weapons such as trench knives, entrenching tools, bayonets, hatchets and pickaxe handles – backed up with revolvers and hand grenades.