Trench art

Trench art is any decorative item made by soldiers, prisoners of war or civilians where the manufacture is directly linked to armed conflict or its consequences. It offers an insight not only to their feelings and emotions about the war, but also their surroundings and the materials they had available to them.

Common articles that this includes are decorated shell and bullet casings and items carved from wood and bone.

Not limited to the World Wars, the history of trench art spans conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day. Although the practice flourished during World War I, the term 'trench art' is also used to describe souvenirs manufactured by service personnel during World War II. Some items manufactured by soldiers, prisoners of war or civilians during earlier conflicts have been retrospectively described as trench art.

There are four broad categories, four circumstances under which trench art items were created:

There is much evidence to prove that some trench art was made in the trenches, by soldiers, during the war.

In With a Machine Gun to Cambrai, George Coppard talks about pressing his regimental buttons into the clay on the floor of the trench, then pouring molten lead from shrapnel balls into this impression to make lead replicas of the crest – trench art personified.

Chalk carvings were also popular, with contemporary postcards showing carvings into the side of rocky outcrops around dug-outs etc., which again confirm their existence in the battle zone.

Alongside items that, by their nature, had to be made in situ, it is fair to assume many smaller items—rings, paper knives, etc.--were made by soldiers either in front line or support trenches, especially in quieter parts of the line.

In addition, wounded soldiers would be encouraged to do certain craftwork as part of the recuperation process, with embroidery and simple forms of woodwork being common. Again from With a Machine Gun to Cambrai, George Coppard recalls that, while recuperating from wounds at a private house in Birkenhead, “one kind old lady brought a supply of coloured silks and canvas and instructed us in the art of embroidery. A sampler which I produced under her guidance so pleased her that she had it framed for me.”.

The second category consists of items made by prisoners of war and interned civilians.

Since Napoleonic times POWs had good reasons to make decorative objects – unending days with little to occupy them and limited food and money. Much POW work was therefore done with the express intention of trading the finished article for food, money or other privileges.

Reference to POW work is made in the recollections of A B Baker, W.A.A.C., contained in the book Everyman at War, published by Purdom in 1930: “Part of my work had to do with prisoners quartered in a camp near to our own. Those Germans were friendly men. They were clever with their hands, and would give me little carvings which they had made.”

...
Wikipedia