Trench Art from World War I

"I remember my father used to take this object out from the cupboard and show it to my sister and me. It’s a French wine bottle that was used to make trench art and it’s an object that gives us an insight into my grandfather’s activities during World War I. Our family knows very little about his time spent in the British Army. His name was Thomas St. John (b.1851, d.1951). He was a member of the Royal Irish Regiment and received an army pension up until his death. This item was made by him during his time fighting in France and he subsequently brought it home with him to Ireland. It’s a cross, with a ladder fashioned inside a wine bottle and filled with gun oil. For us, this object is a fascinating piece of our family’s history and is one of the few remaining physical links left by our grandfather that tells the story of his time spent fighting in the British Army during World War I."