Menu
War Souvenirs and Trench Art
"To my Dearest Mother..."
Soldiers used any found materials to make keepsakes and souvenirs. The most common and easily accessible materials were discharged bullets and shell casings.
During the Second World War, materials like aluminium and Perspex could be sourced from crashed airplanes. Small objects like brooches and pendants were worked on, stored and posted home without difficulty.
Despite its name, trench art was most often created behind the lines, at camps and workshops where equipment and tools were readily available.
Crafting souvenirs helped keep soldiers entertained while waiting for orders. Souvenirs became a way of commemorating battles, places and people and later to help soldiers process some of the events they had faced. For the families of soldiers that did not return, these objects provided a tangible link to their loved one's experience.
