!8 Pounder shell case "dinner gongs"

[Flying10uk]

While recently walking past a local antique shop I was almost able to resist (but not quite) the temptation to purchase these 18 pdr shell cases that appear to have been made into rudimentary "dinner gongs". After a quick look on-line it would seem that the example with the ??RY marking may have been refilled by one of the railway companies and one may have been made in the U.S.A.??? Any additional information much appreciated, thanks.

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[matthanne1]

Growing up on Army bases as an Army brat in the 1960s, there were always one or two Artillery branch officers/NCOs who had these on the front porch for exactly that reason....and now I have one too, had to punch out the long-burned out frozen primer but it rings cleanly! Mine is a US Ord marked for a 75mm Scovill Gun, appears to be nickelled brass.

[Flying10uk]

I thought that Forum members would also be interested to see this much larger WW1 shell case which my father purchased from another antique shop in the 1970s and has been in the family ever since. Although I don't know much about it I believe it to be of German origin and wonder if it was engraved by a German soldier in 1919 perhaps as a prisoner of war in a camp. Maybe he gave or sold it to a British soldier, who knows, but somehow it found it's way to England.

[matthanne1]

Yep, German, Polte Armaturen made ammunition up at least into the 1990s, if I am not mistaken, their plant code was '04' under the DDR. What is the case mouth diameter? Possible LeFH 16 10.5cm cannon?

[Flying10uk]

The case mouth diameter is slightly distorted but measures around 105mm or just over 4 1/8".

[peregrinvs]

I thought that Forum members would also be interested to see this much larger WW1 shell case which my father purchased from another antique shop in the 1970s and has been in the family ever since. Although I don't know much about it I believe it to be of German origin and wonder if it was engraved by a German soldier in 1919 perhaps as a prisoner of war in a camp. Maybe he gave or sold it to a British soldier, who knows, but somehow it found it's way to England.

I believe you have a German 10cm cartridge case for the K04, K14 and K17 guns. The decoration was probably added post-WWI by a French or Belgian civilian to make a souvenir for battlefield tourists. This sort of thing is usually known as 'trench art', but the term shouldn't be taken too literally.