Original British WWI Trench Art “Souvenir of Peronne” Peaked Visor Cap Made From German 77mm Shell Casing Original Items

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.

The cap is in wonderful condition though it most certainly was polished fairly recently with evidence of past polishing present as well. Unfortunately due to the amount of times someone decided to shine the brass, it wore down some of the details though they are still discernible. The top of the 3 ½” wide visor states the it is a “Souvenir [of] Peronne 1919 with WORLD WAR being present on the top of the visor. The Germans, seeing themselves pitted against the global empires of Britain and France, felt the world was against them from the outset. From their perspective, the war was of such magnitude that it created a sense of the whole world collapsing – the term World War expressed the scale of fear the conflict unleashed.

Peronne was a town which had been a German headquarters until it was abandoned in 1917. It was then used by the British until lost in the German Offensive of March 1918 and then finally liberated by Australian troops in September 1918. Although not raised to the ground like Ypres, none of its buildings escaped damage and it was classified as part of the Zone Rouge post-war.

War souvenirs are as old as warfare itself. Be they trophies of victory or personal keepsakes of combat experiences, soldiers have always saved material evidence of their wartime service. Some, if they had the skills, turned the materials of war into art.

The tradition of artistically handcrafting war souvenirs goes back to ancient times, but the practice flourished during the First World War. The abundance of items created by soldiers in World War I and in the years immediately after gave rise to the term “trench art.” Over time, the term has become generalized to refer to art made from ordnance or military equipment from any era much like this WWI visor cap.

Some trench art was actually made in the trenches. Other examples were made by soldiers convalescing in hospitals, or shortly after the war before they went home like this cap, indicating post war construction from the 1919 date etched into the top. The pieces were made as personal souvenirs, for family, or sold to other soldiers to earn money. Local civilians and laborers supporting the armies also crafted items from war debris they collected.

The cap is in wonderful condition and comes more than ready for further research and display.