Trench Art

I discovered something new to me Sunday. I’ve been around a number of years (little haha) and am a curious sort with at least an average amount of awareness. But I never knew about Trench Art. I knew people always made things out of what they had, wartime or not, but did not know this had a name and was considered an art form. If I don’t know, there are other people who don’t.  

I had this little plastic crucifix with emblem for sale at the flea market. Came in a box lot from somewhere I know not, since the husband multi auctions and I get the leftovers to sell. A fellow vendor spotted it in my costume jewelry and asked if I knew what it was. I thought it was a plastic crucifix with little value but she knew different. She didn’t take advantage which tells me everything I need to know about her character and we had a lovely discussion about wartime art. Trench art. Soldiers, pilots and aircrew, navy seamen; anyone with a creative bent would take bits of things they had and make something of it that meant something to THEM. Now highly collectible, in my Google searching I have found other pieces in museums: ovals, circles, diamonds and stars as pendants and bracelets. Each piece is unique.

The crucifix is very light and quite small, 2 inches long, with the crosspiece at 1 ¾ inches, made out of early acrylic. The sterling RCAF sweetheart wings in the centre are tiny. The crown is red, the wings dark grey and the round centre is blue. I can see through to the back of the emblem to see the Sterling stamp and a maker mark E – whatever company that was. Not having much luck with that search. This little piece would have been made by someone in the Royal Canadian air force out of a little piece of scrapped windshield.  Amazing!  A tiny little piece of history that I would have sold for $3.00 is now going to the National Air Force museum in Trenton.  If they have a collection they may want it.