Trench art from a German shell casing
Attached to this story is a gold matchbox holder from the Battle of the Somme. The name A. Lynch can be seen on the front of the case along with a floral design which extends to the spine and the back of the casing. On the back of the holder a carving of Somme 1916-1917 can be seen surrounded by the floral design.
This story is about an anonymous soldier who used to work for my grandfather Anthony Lynch before he went to fight in the great war. The unknown soldier used to be an estate agent from Verschorles, Ireland before the war. During the war he fought in the Battle of the Somme. During the Battle of the Somme he handmade a matchbox holder out of an old German shell in the trenches. He personally created the design of the matchbox holder and carved my grandfather's first initial and surname onto the front of the case. When he returned home from the war he gave the gift to my grandfather's farm hand who delivered it to the family home in Clonyn Castle, Co. Kildare, Ireland. This matchbox holder was then given to Anthony's daughter Angela who then passed it on to her son. Unfortunately, the name and details of the soldier has been lost through the years.
CONTRIBUTOR
Dara Hogan
DATE
/
LANGUAGE
eng
ITEMS
1
INSTITUTION
Europeana 1914-1918
PROGRESS
METADATA
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