Guest Posted 5 January , 2020 Share Posted 5 January , 2020 Hi new to the forum, I have been given a plaster pot that belonged to my grandad, Victor Edgar Southerden. He was an RFA driver in WW1 and served all over, France, Mesopotamia etc I have attached a picture of the pot, can anyone help me with what it might have been used for or any other information please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 6 January , 2020 Share Posted 6 January , 2020 (edited) Welcome to the forum Fred. There’s not much I can say about the pot beyond that it has the cap badge of the Royal Artillery molded onto the lid. Because of its inscribed decoration I imagine that it was intended as a gift, perhaps for a lady friend, or relative. Do you know if he was wounded? Quite a few men who were wounded were encouraged to make things with their hands as a therapeutic activity and also to strengthen fingers and hands where appropriate, as part of their rehabilitation and convalescence. Some men did pottery and many more sewed ‘samplers’ and some even knitted. The latter activities were not unusual and had been part of treatment since the Crimean war of the 1850s. Examination of the inside of the box might give you an idea of what it was used for (colouration, smell, etc.), but a simple trinket box seems to me to be the most likely use. Edited 6 January , 2020 by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragoon Posted 6 January , 2020 Share Posted 6 January , 2020 14 hours ago, Fred-M said: Hi new to the forum, I have been given a plaster pot that belonged to my grandad, Victor Edgar Southerden. He was an RFA driver in WW1 and served all over, France, Mesopotamia etc I have attached a picture of the pot, can anyone help me with what it might have been used for or any other information please Welcome to the forum. It's a lovely item, thank you for sharing. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardenerbill Posted 6 January , 2020 Share Posted 6 January , 2020 Hi Fred, Could this be the original piece from which a plaster mould or moulds were made for slip casting ceramic containers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilbury Welsh Posted 6 January , 2020 Share Posted 6 January , 2020 I have seen several wooden boxes from the WW2 era brought home from India etc by soldiers with a carved regimental image on the top. Could this be a similar item brought home from abroad by your ancestor? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 6 January , 2020 Share Posted 6 January , 2020 Hi Frogsmile, Thank you so much for your reply. He was wounded once that we know of and it seems also returned with malaria while on a sea transport to the mid east. The box does not apear to have been used for anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 6 January , 2020 Share Posted 6 January , 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, Fred-M said: Hi Frogsmile, Thank you so much for your reply. He was wounded once that we know of and it seems also returned with malaria while on a sea transport to the mid east. The box does not apear to have been used for anything. While we cannot know for sure, it is quite possible that he made the box under the circumstances that I’ve described. An extremely common feature of the remedial handicrafts mentioned was regimental emblems and iconography, which made masculine the kind of products that convalescing soldiers were producing. Edited 6 January , 2020 by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1418 Posted 7 January , 2020 Share Posted 7 January , 2020 Hi are you sure it’s plaster and not carved soap stone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 7 January , 2020 Share Posted 7 January , 2020 Does the inside smell of anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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