35,000 Hrs on the 400 Mile Line
The story of the Trench Art made by one soldier stationed on the front lines of WW1
The story of the Trench Art made by one soldier stationed on the front lines of WW1
Over the years, Trench Art and the collections thereof has become the subject of many books and documentaries. Although the pieces surviving today were not all exclusively made in this particular period, the term ‘Trench Art’ has almost become synonymous with the First World War. This is in no small part due to the circumstances that surrounded this period, potentially being stuck in the same trench for months on end, providing the perfect opportunities for serviceman creativity. Despite this, the pieces displayed in this book differ greatly from the examples that survive as part of large collections.
Firstly they are not part of a large collection where their history is inevitably lost, my Great Grandfather created these pieces in an area of the Somme called Arras and they have remained in the possession of his family since he returned from frontline action in 1918.
With a Brief theme of rarity, I felt that telling the story of 3 pieces of rare craftsmanship, an inverted flower of the Somme and twin candlestick holders created by 1 serviceman during his time on the frontline, set against the timeline of the conflict would be an interesting interpretation of the theme.
A trench has been laser etched into the front and back cover of the cover stock, the trench left behind is darker than the rest of the stock and has a scorched quality to it. This is accompanied by a blue rubber stamp print of the booktitle, 35,000 Hrs on the 400 Mile Line. The stamp idea stemmed from research at the British Library where many of the maps contained military stamps in Cerulean Blue. The corners are protected by 4 custom-made brass triangles which were crafted from a shell retrieved from a WW1 wreck by a friend, the details stamped onto the corners mimic those found on the shell used by my Great Grandfather to fashion the twin candlestick holders. Inside,the introduction page explains the rare nature of the contents, the page format seems at first to be section-bound, yet when turning to page 2 and 3, which appear as a map of the front line, it turns into a concertina, with page 3 actually being page 7 of the concertina fold. Once unfolded, pages 3,4,5 & 6 turn into a timeline of the events of conflict. Above the timeline is the personal story of the serviceman; whilst below the timeline the significant events of the war are listed. The concertina is backed onto fabric in a nod to the large format maps (in particular the map that appears in the book) at the British Library.
Firstly they are not part of a large collection where their history is inevitably lost, my Great Grandfather created these pieces in an area of the Somme called Arras and they have remained in the possession of his family since he returned from frontline action in 1918.
With a Brief theme of rarity, I felt that telling the story of 3 pieces of rare craftsmanship, an inverted flower of the Somme and twin candlestick holders created by 1 serviceman during his time on the frontline, set against the timeline of the conflict would be an interesting interpretation of the theme.
A trench has been laser etched into the front and back cover of the cover stock, the trench left behind is darker than the rest of the stock and has a scorched quality to it. This is accompanied by a blue rubber stamp print of the booktitle, 35,000 Hrs on the 400 Mile Line. The stamp idea stemmed from research at the British Library where many of the maps contained military stamps in Cerulean Blue. The corners are protected by 4 custom-made brass triangles which were crafted from a shell retrieved from a WW1 wreck by a friend, the details stamped onto the corners mimic those found on the shell used by my Great Grandfather to fashion the twin candlestick holders. Inside,the introduction page explains the rare nature of the contents, the page format seems at first to be section-bound, yet when turning to page 2 and 3, which appear as a map of the front line, it turns into a concertina, with page 3 actually being page 7 of the concertina fold. Once unfolded, pages 3,4,5 & 6 turn into a timeline of the events of conflict. Above the timeline is the personal story of the serviceman; whilst below the timeline the significant events of the war are listed. The concertina is backed onto fabric in a nod to the large format maps (in particular the map that appears in the book) at the British Library.
