75 mm info inquiry

[Guest]

I stumbled across this at a flea market and need to know as much about it as possible. I know it is a 75 mm shell casing from 1916, but what about the rest of the markings? Where was it used based off the lot number (4 Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest]

 

Hello, good evening !!

 

I've just registered in this forum and came across your post. I'm happy I can help 

 

So it is : 

 

MAM : Manufacture de Munitions d'Artillerie de Marseille

 

480L : lot number 480

 

16 : you are correct it is the year of production - 1916.

 

SD : is the supplier of the brass, Compagnie française des Métaux Four St Denis. 

 

DB : not sure should be a control check marking, or maybe putten there when loaded, and should refer to Etablissements Delauney-Belleville, Paris.

 

Hope it helps !! 

 

Best Regards

 

 

 

 

 

 

[trajan]

Hi ALB 18, and welcome to GWF!

 

It is beginning to look as if there was quite a major post-war industry in converting these shell-cases into 'Trench Art'! Most of those that I have seen on GWF have been these French 75 mm ones... Note in particular how they all have that same ribbing in the lower part of the case - has to be done mechanically.

 

I have a pair also, but mine were done in 1921 during the Graeco-Turkish War, aka the Turkish Independence War see - https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/258553-shell-cases-trench-art-conundruma-greek/

 

 

Trajan

 

 

[Andrew Upton]

On ‎05‎/‎01‎/‎2019 at 08:20, trajan said:

... Note in particular how they all have that same ribbing in the lower part of the case - has to be done mechanically.

 

Not so. I believe the process was to fill the shell casing with a softer metal with a low melting point (lead shrapnel balls being ideal) and the ribbing could then carefully be hand-hammered into place without splitting the copper shell casing. When finished the casing could then be heated until the lead liquified and could be poured out and reused. As I recall an example that had been discarded in an unfinished state due to one of the flutes going wrong mid-production was found in a trench excavation quite a number of years ago, which was also good evidence at least some of these (albeit in relatively smaller numbers) were being produced in the war.

[Gunner Bailey]

Trajan. Andrew is 100% right.  There is  good book by Nicholas Saunders 'Trench Art' which details the production method. He includes a photo of a half completed shell found in a loft where the hammering has started to force the lead out of the shell casing.

 

There was never a machine to make the 'corseted' trench art cases. They are all unique.

 

John 

Edited 7 January , 2019 by Gunner Bailey

[trajan]

8 hours ago, Andrew Upton said:

 

Not so. I believe the process was to fill the shell casing with a softer metal with a low melting point (lead shrapnel balls being ideal) and the ribbing could then carefully be hand-hammered into place without splitting the copper shell casing. When finished the casing could then be heated until the lead liquified and could be poured out and reused. As I recall an example that had been discarded in an unfinished state due to one of the flutes going wrong mid-production was found in a trench excavation quite a number of years ago, which was also good evidence at least some of these (albeit in relatively smaller numbers) were being produced in the war.

 

4 hours ago, Gunner Bailey said:

Trajan. Andrew is 100% right.  There is  good book by Nicholas Saunders 'Trench Art' which details the production method. He includes a photo of a half completed shell found in a loft where the hammering has started to force the lead out of the shell casing.

 

There was never a machine to make the 'corseted' trench art cases. They are all unique.

 

John 

 

Thanks for correcting me. Any ideas, though, why the French 75 mm (seems) to have been so popular - sheer numbers of these around? Oh, and Gunner - I had heard of that book but haven't seen a copy, so perhaps an order from the uni-library...

[Gunner Bailey]

The 2nd edition of the Trench Art book is currently available on Amazon (and via forum) for £12.99.

 

The reason the French 75mm shell is more regularly found made into Trench Art is that the French Soldier was more likely to make trench art than his British counterpart or German opposition across the wire. The French soldiers were badly paid and many of them had metal working skills that they could use to make trench art. Trench art they made was sold to buy wine and food to supplement their rations. I have been in some French homes where the mantle pieces are groaning with Trench Art either made by relatives or bought by families during the Great War.

 

Many French soldiers carried a tool set including hammer and a tiny anvil for such work.

 

About 10 years ago I was in a French bookshop and saw a huge tome about Trench art, possibly a definitive work, but at the time it was £60 and I could not stretch to that. It was bigger than A4 and was around 350 pages. Never seen it since but some must be out there.

[Gunner Bailey]

I should add that my one of my grandfathers made trench art but he was a RE sapper and had access to tools and a field workshop. Proud to say, I still have all he made. His one shell case piece was a cut down 6 pdr simply decorated with the 21st Div sign.

[trajan]

16 hours ago, Gunner Bailey said:

The 2nd edition of the Trench Art book is currently available on Amazon (and via forum) for £12.99. ... About 10 years ago I was in a French bookshop and saw a huge tome about Trench art, possibly a definitive work, but at the time it was £60 and I could not stretch to that. It was bigger than A4 and was around 350 pages. Never seen it since but some must be out there.

 

Thanks for that information... The £60 book - was that in French?

Edited 8 January , 2019 by trajan

[Gunner Bailey]

1 hour ago, trajan said:

 

Thanks for that information... The £60 book - was that in French?

Yes it was. Beautifully illustrated though.