Object number
201812.3.7
Title
First World War German cigarette case
Description
Gunmetal First World War German cigarette case, claimed to be given to Edgar Sharples by a wounded German soldier after he had carried him through the trenches to a first aid post. The square case with rounded edges is patterned with a stippled effect beaten into the metal with an iron cross attached to the top left as decoration. The iron cross itself is brass with evidence of enamelling or paint that at one stage would have colured the cross black, there is a crown decoration at the top of the cross, a 'W' in the centre representing Kaiser Wilhelm II and the date 1914 on the bottom. There is a hinge on the left that allows the case to open like a book, with a brass catch on the right that works by being pushed in. Inside the case are two metal hinges that would have held the cigarettes in place.
Date
1914 - 1918
Production period
First World War
Dimensions
- Width: 75 mm
- Height: 85 mm
- Depth: 15 mm