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Trench Art123 of 331Mess kit trench art - 2nd postZepellin L33 1916. Crashed close to my home after bombing London.
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    Posted 11 years ago

    Jayblade
    (2 items)

    My husband was given this mess tin passed down from his grandad Captain Oxenham. This was given to him when at war in the battle of Keren by a POW.

    The mess tin reads ( to the best of my knowledge)

    Ricordo della prigionia ...al forte baldissera all'amico Adini

    Hy cerati ( I think as not sure of the letters)

    328 357

    12-5-42

    ....DI FRONTE E IN CONTRASTO ALLA SCHIFOSA SINAGOGO CHE LA CITTA'DI ASMARA SI STANDEE LO SPIRTO DEL NOSTRI MORTI CHE FA ANCORA AMARE QUESTA TERRA D'ERITREA E CI DICA LA VIA DEL DOMANI

    DECAMERE 7-7-42

    Which I believe translates to :

    Remembrance of the captivity ....the strong baldissera friend hw. Cerati

    328 357

    12-5-42

    ....IN FRONT OF AND IN CONTRAST TO THE FILTHY SYNAGOGUE AND THE CITY OF ASMARA LIES THE SPIRIT OF OUR DEAD, WHICH DOES STILL LOVE THIS LAND OF ERITREA AND TELLS US THE WAY OF THE FUTURE.

    DECAMERE 7-7-

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    Comments

    1. SEAN68 SEAN68, 11 years ago
      Very nice!!!
    2. Jayblade Jayblade, 11 years ago
      Thanks Sean68
    3. SEAN68 SEAN68, 11 years ago
      Your very welcome Jayblade and welcome to cw!!
    4. Chrisnp Chrisnp, 11 years ago
      Wonderful piece!
    5. scottvez scottvez, 11 years ago
      FANTASTIC!!

      This is called TRENCH ART and is highly collected genre of militaria. I am a serious collector of trench art. Here is an AEF mess kit that may be of interest:

      http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/21950-ww1-trench-art-diary-mess-kit-and-dog

      scott
    6. scottvez scottvez, 11 years ago
      This type of quality engraved work is much more typical of WW1 era trench art-- it is unusual to find in WW2 trench art.

      scott
    7. Manikin Manikin, 11 years ago
      What a treasure to have passed down in family ! love it Priceless
    8. Jayblade Jayblade, 11 years ago
      Thanks Chrisnp & manikin!

      I only recently developed a love for trench art scottves, after finding this in my husbands things. He has the full story that was pased down by his aunty to him along with his grandads things, (flare gun, sword, binocolus, medals) which also confirms he was there at the battle of keren where this was given to him around 1942. Do you know what the 6 didget number is? Maybe a P.O.W number??
    9. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Hi!

      There were a couple of errors that I picked up from your transcription of the bottom of the mess tin.

      This is what I read:
      DI FRONTE E IN CONTRASTO ALLA SCHIFOSA SINAGOGA CHE E' LA CITTA' DI ASMARA SI STENDE LO SPIRTO DEI NOSTRI MORTI CHE FA ANCORA AMARE QUESTA TERRA D'ERITREA E CI DICA LA VIA DEL DOMANI DECAMERE 7-7-42

      Decamerè is a town in Eritrea, aka Dekemhare is south east of Asmara.

      The earlier part of the inscription on the sides is a bit confusing to me.
      There is no Y in Italian.

      is Hy cerati " Liberati"?

      Is it possible to put some other pictures of the side's inscription?

      The inscription is fascinating!

      It looks to be dated July 7, 1942 in Decamere.

    10. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 11 years ago
      Fascinating piece!
    11. Jayblade Jayblade, 11 years ago
      Thanks blunderbuss2

      vetraio50 I don't have an option to add more images?? It's always good to have a person that knows italian take a look !
    12. antiquerose antiquerose, 11 years ago
      Amazing!!

      I have some of my Dad's Trench Art here too (wood) from his RCAF days
    13. antiquerose antiquerose, 11 years ago
      ......Oh ......and WELCOME!!
    14. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      I can give you a translation of what I see but the earlier side pieces give context.

      Ricordo della prigionia ...al forte baldissera

      This looks correct.

      But "all'amico Adini HY cerati" is not correct.
      It would be that section that needs to be viewed somehow.

      The alternative is to put up a second posting ..... It is done often on some of the more challenging items.
    15. Trey Trey, 11 years ago
      What an awesome piece of history.
    16. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      The second image has the symbols of the Axis Powers: Japan, Italy & Germany.
    17. TubeAmp TubeAmp, 11 years ago
      Could be that the "y" is really oxidation/corrosion that is giving a letter a tail.

      Great item,

      T A

    18. inky inky, 11 years ago
      How Wonderful to have a thing with so much history and personnel meaning ......welcome to CW!....:-)
    19. Jayblade Jayblade, 11 years ago
      Thanks guys, I have added a second post, so hopefully you can see the letters a bit better.
    20. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Hi, I just had a look at the new posting! Thanks!

      I have a thought!
      Perhaps underneath the Decamere is a device, a monogram that I think is his signature: Cerati.
    21. Jayblade Jayblade, 11 years ago
      It does look like a signature/ monogram, Ati from what I can see. More research to be done I think on my part. Thanks again
    22. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      The other thing I have noted a spelling mistake on my own part with the transcription above. It should read:

      DI FRONTE E IN CONTRASTO ALLA SCHIFOSA SINAGOGA CHE E' LA CITTA' DI ASMARA SI STENDE LO SPIRITO DEI NOSTRI MORTI CHE FA ANCORA AMARE QUESTA TERRA D'ERITREA E CI DICA LA VIA DEL DOMANI DECAMERE 7-7-42
    23. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      An Image I found:
      http://www.delcampe.net/page/item/id,198007353,var,R7606-ERITREA-COLONIA-ASMARA-ENTRATA-AL-FORTE-BALDISSERA-SOLDATI-MILITARI-RIPRODUZIONE,language,E.html#.U0czL15Vkag
    24. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      I am beginning to get some interesting sites together.

      An important word for your research will be "Regio Esercito".
      The Regio Esercito (English: Royal Army) was the army of the Kingdom of Italy from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946.

      Data about the army can be found in a great number of sites. There is one site here in Australia and I have informed them of your mess tin.

      http://www.rehistorygroup.com/default.htm
    25. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      By the way, the image in between the Japanes and German symbols is the one used by the "Regio Esercito".
    26. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      There is a great set of images of Asmara here from the period:
      http://blog.libero.it/wrnzla/5317849.html

      It includes the image of the gate to the Forte Baldissera.
    27. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      I have found some pix of undecorated "gavette" too.

      The Italian term for a mess-tin is "gavetta".
    28. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      I have found a forum for Italian Militaria too.
      IL FORUM DEI COLLEZIONISTI DI MILITARIA
      - The Italian Forum for Military Collectors -

      You might like to join it.

      I have done so and am willing to help if you wish to get involved with them.
      Translations and such ....
    29. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 11 years ago
      Vetraio50, this is what CW is supposed to be like! True collectables and people like you who are willing to help instead of kitchen junk-drawer stuff. Thanks for keeping the spirit alive.
    30. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      I am at it BLUNDERBUSS! I am learning all the time.

      I have just found out that there is still a prison camp in Eritrea near Dekemhare, Debub, Dek'emhare, Decamere, Dekemehare, Decamhare. Alla (Ala) .

      There are still problems there!
    31. Jayblade Jayblade, 11 years ago
      Blunderbuss I agree vetraio50 has been amazing with help on this! I have so much to look at today thanks vetraio50
    32. Jayblade Jayblade, 11 years ago
      Vetraio50 I have left message and added more images on the other thread as this pinpoints exactly which camp the italian must have come from.
    33. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      I'll have a look thanks!
    34. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 11 years ago
      Looking closely at the lettering on the bottom that at 1st glance look stamped. Looking closely, it looks as if it is possibly hand engraved lettering.
    35. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      I agree BLUNDERBUSS. The engraving was done by a very skilled hand.
    36. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      I can see CERATI in that monogram. The letters CER all become one followed by -ati, imho.

      The way that monogram is constructed suggests a person who was a professional artist. The block lettering on the lid is extremely well done. He was also quite literate.

      But did he survive?

      I have seen on an Italian site that many of these Italian prisoners from the Battle of Keren and civilians in the area were transported to India and to other British Colonies.


      http://www.ilcornodafrica.it/st-sci01.htm

      "The period between 1941 and 1943 was also characterized by the creation of the refugee camps, concentration camps and by the transfer of Italians to military and civilian prison camps in the various British colonies - for example the fatal sinking of the transport ship "Nova Scotia", unknowingly torpedoed by a German U-boats in the waters of Lorenço Marques on November 28, 1942, which claimed the lives of, among others, 651 Italians. ......


      "Il periodo tra il 1941 ed il 1943 fu caratterizzato anche dalla creazione dei campi profughi, dei campi di concentramento, dal trasferimento nei campi di prigionia nelle varie colonie inglesi di militari e civili - come quello funesto legato all’affondamento del trasporto “Nova Scotia”, silurato da un inconsapevole U-boot tedesco nelle acque di Lorenço Marques il 28 novembre del 1942, che costò la vita, tra gli altri, a 651 italiani - dalla disintegrazione di migliaia di famiglie, dall’inizio dei rimpatri con le “Navi Bianche” per decine di migliaia di donne, bambini, vecchi ed infermi e dallo smantellamento sistematico delle più importanti infrastrutture dell’economia del paese con il solo evidente scopo di ridurre al minimo possibile la presenza degli italiani in Eritrea."

    37. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      There is an update of the fate of those on board the Nova Scotia here:

      http://www.witness.co.za/?showcontent&global%5B_id%5D=15123
    38. AnneLanders AnneLanders, 11 years ago
      excellent work vetraio50 and an lovely item of memory
    39. battlegear battlegear, 10 years ago
      thats an amazing piece of Trench Art , very nice details, whoever did the art work had excellent talent!

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