Shipley-type plate, England, 1915-1920

Soup plate for the use of men who had lost an arm during the First World War, designed by Arthur Everett Shipley, zoologist and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, made by Booths Ltd and supplied by T. Goode and Co., England, 1915-1920.

Finishing all the soup from a conventional bowl using only one hand can be difficult when you’re unable to tilt it. This special soup plate has a depression in the centre which allowed those last drops to be gathered. It was invented by Arthur Everest Shipley (1861-1927), zoologist and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, in response to the needs of those injured during the First World War. It was specifically designed to help the many men who had lost an arm to be able to eat without the assistance of others.

Shipley also designed a dinner plate for the same group of disabled men ( see A602812) and well as a page turner for those who had lost both arms (see A635095).