Original Item: Only One Available. 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.
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.
This lovely work of art features what appears to be a Crane (bird) carved from a single piece of aluminum. The base in which the crane rests in almost has the appearance of being driftwood. The wood is cracked in multiple places and dried out making it brittle to the touch. Carved into the wood is SOUVENIR D AVORD which we believe to be the Avord Air Force base that was occupied by Germany during the French occupation. The text has what appears to be a Free French Air Force set of pilot wings carved into the wood with a “Victory” letter V above it.
A lovely memento from WWII that comes more than ready for further research and display.