Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 3 October , 2004 Posted 3 October , 2004 I recently purchased a trench art cap made from the base of a German shell. I know very little about this type of art and I was wondering if anyone has any details on who might have made these? When they were made? etc. Any help would be appreciated, thanks. Ralph
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 3 October , 2004 Author Posted 3 October , 2004 View 3, thanks for any help you might be able to provide. Ralph
Max Poilu Posted 3 October , 2004 Posted 3 October , 2004 Ralph, Yours looks a good honest example but: who might have made these Answer: A clever Frenchman somewhere in Northern France last year. These 'trench caps' are being faked a great deal these days but usually in the slightly more ornate style with a driving band for the strap and buttons for the side attachments. I repeat, yours looks very original to me and very desirable. As for who made the originals the usual answers apply. Most items were made after the war by locals from war material in order to sell to tourists. Much was made by engineers or artisans behind the lines during the war. The smallest group is that fashioned by Tommy and Fritz himself actually in the trenches or as POWs'. The definitive work is Nicholas Saunders "Trench Art", there are quite a few previous threads on the subject on the forum.
Canadawwi Posted 3 October , 2004 Posted 3 October , 2004 Here's a trench art cap in the 48th Highlanders museum (15th Batt. CEF) in Toronto, Canada. There is a full showcase of this work that was donated by WWI veterans.
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 3 October , 2004 Author Posted 3 October , 2004 Giles, CanadaWWI, Thank you for your replies. I must admit that the idea of a fake did come to mind but the quality and patina (I know this can be faked) looked to good to pass up. I only wanted one of these so I am pleased with the one I was able to get. I have a number of other trench art items including ones that were more than likely made after the war as souvenirs. However there are a few that have that look and appearance of being from the war made by men with a great deal of time on their hands as well as skill in metal work. I have seen several recent eBat items that look like old shells with a scratched surface outlining some kind of WWI theme generally. They look as if an amateur did them recently but as with every other item you never know what the background could be. Overall I am happy with it and it does look good in the collection. Thanks again, Ralph
zephyr4 Posted 3 October , 2004 Posted 3 October , 2004 It is a very nice cap,what i did notice is the peak has been added seperatly to the cap and they are useualy made in one peice then the strap added.
Max Poilu Posted 3 October , 2004 Posted 3 October , 2004 Ralph, No worries, it looks absolutely right to me and one I would like in my collection. The example illustrated by Canadaww1 is typical of the style of those being re-made today. Normal engraved shell cases are still so plentiful in France they are seldom faked. However, with a typical trench art cap being around £50 these days they are worthwhile re-making.
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 3 October , 2004 Author Posted 3 October , 2004 Thanks Giles, From your last post it would seem I got a bargain as I did not pay as high as 50 Pounds. Thanks for all the help. Funny thing, I was offered another for sale by an eBay dealer who sent photos and it looked too shiny, too new to be original. I passed on the item as I am happy with one in the collection. Not enough room anymore in the house for everything it would seem. Thanks again, Ralph
Guest Chip Minx Posted 4 October , 2004 Posted 4 October , 2004 Ralph, I like the cap too. Very nice looking. Also of interest is the shell case that was used. It has some very nice navy markings. Can you tell what caliber it was originally? Canadawwi, Tell me more about the 15th Battalion CEF museum. I have a uniform for a sargeant from this unit. I have never researched him and do not know his name, but I do think his serial number is on some of the items. Chip
Canadawwi Posted 4 October , 2004 Posted 4 October , 2004 Hi Chip! I've posted over 50 photos from the 48th Highlanders (15th Batt CEF) museum on my website - a virtual tour of the museum. The link to view the photo album is below, and I've added descriptive details about the museum and the items on display. There are a few uniform pictures in there. The museum is run by volunteers and they are very helpful. It is in the basement of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Toronto, and the church has a WWI memorial stained glass window, memorial plaques, and the regiments colours are on display. 48th Highlanders Museum Best regards, Marika
Guest Chip Minx Posted 4 October , 2004 Posted 4 October , 2004 Marika, Thanks for the picture and the link. It appears to be a very nice museum. Seeing it makes me want to find out more about my uniform. Best regards, Chip
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 4 October , 2004 Author Posted 4 October , 2004 Sorry Chip, No idea of the shell size, I wil look over my books and see if there is any way to determine it. Ralph
Guest AmericanDoughboy Posted 4 October , 2004 Posted 4 October , 2004 Canadawwi, I must say that that is pretty clever. Thank you for sharing! Kind regards, -Doughboy
zephyr4 Posted 4 October , 2004 Posted 4 October , 2004 This is quite a good site for headstamp marking. http://home.hetnet.nl/~supersmit/ww1/stamp...#identification This site is for British Ordnance. http://web.ukonline.co.uk/stephen.johnson/arms/
zephyr4 Posted 4 October , 2004 Posted 4 October , 2004 Take a look at this cap. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...2272603091&rd=1 The Canadian badge looks like a later edition to me.
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