Commemorative Vases

Captain Truman sent this pair of vases back home from the World War I battlefield as souvenirs to Bess. They were common examples of "trench art." Spent shell casings were fashioned into vases and other commemorative items. Each shell is engraved with a flying heron over a pond, pine tree and clouds.
Vase: Spent artillery shell casing. Engraved above tree is "1918 Verdun." Head stamp markings read, "RH.M.F. 155 Dusseldorf Juni 1915," "ST," and "sp61."