WW1 TRENCH ART OAK BOOKSHELF WOODEN BOOK SHELF BRITISH 4.5 HOWITZER SHELL DESIGN

A WW1-era trench art oak bookshelf. This beautifully made, possibly unique item, comprises two exact scale wooden models of 4.5 inch WW1 British Howitzer projectiles, made from oak, and linked by an oak shelf. The shells are so accurately modelled that the bases fit the correct size cases perfectly (I have tried them with a 1917 dated 4.5-in brass case and the fit is exact). Whoever made this bookshelf was clearly very familiar with the munitions on which they were based, and went to great lengths to ensure they were as accurate as possible.

QF 4.5-inch howitzer: was the standard British Empire field howitzer of WW1. It replaced the BL 5-inch howitzer. It entered service in 1910 and remained in use through the interwar period and was last used in the field by British forces in early 1942. It was generally horse drawn until mechanisation in the 1930s. QF stands for "quick firing", a British term for ordnance that fires ammunition with a metal (usually brass) cartridge case containing the propellant charge. The cartridge case also provides obturation (sealing of the chamber). The base of the projectile is seated in the cartridge case. This howitzer was the largest calibre of British QF field artillery ordnance. The 4.5-inch howitzer was used on most fronts during WW1. On the Western Front there was one battery to every three batteries of 18-pounder field guns. Initially 4.5-inch howitzers equipped a howitzer brigade of the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) in each infantry division. In the original British Expeditionary Force in 1914 this brigade had three batteries each with six howitzers. Subsequent batteries had only four howitzers. In 1916 all batteries on the Western Front began to be increased to six howitzers and later that year the howitzer brigades were disbanded and a howitzer battery added to each field brigade of the RFA as the fourth battery.

***Please Note: The books in the photos are NOT included - they are shown just to give an idea of size of the bookshelf***

Condition:

In very good condition. With minor signs of wear and use, and a few marks.

Dimensions : 

Length: 72cm

Depth: 17cm

Height: 40cm

Base Diameter of ends: 4.5-inches

Weight: 5kg (before packing)