Shell casings of the week: Why do shell casings always come in pairs?

As I am new to blogging, I have been trying to find my way around the site, and this morning, noticed that someone had found the site by Googling 'Why do shell casings always come in pairs? The simplest answer to this, and without being facetious, is that they don't, either by design or because one has been lost in the mists of time. Even those that may seem to be a pair, may not necessarily have been intended to be so.

Shell casings sold separately on ebay recently

When I sold a 'pair' separately on ebay recently, I had a message, criticising me for selling them separately. (The offending items are in the photograph to the left)! My response was something like 'to get the best price for the shell casings, it is often more profitable to sell them separately, and just because they look alike does not mean that they were originally intended to be a pair.' (One sold for more than the other)! To fully understand how a pair can not be a pair, I think that we need to look at the date, subject matter, and try to fathom the original intent of the actual artefact (although provenance is so often lost between manufacture and coming on to the open market).

Firstly, though, I think that the very nature and definition of WWI Trench Art should be looked at. Often, I think that it is just assumed that just because (as with this 'pair') the name and date of a battle is on a shell casing or other artefact, then it was made in the Trenches at that time. This is not necessarily so. 'Trench Art' was also made long after the war to cater to the burgeoning Tourism (or Pilgrimage) trade to the battle sites of 'Great War' and to the War Cemeteries. Often these were made by ex-service men, but also by civilian men and women who never fought. 

Jane A. Kimball (http://www.trenchart.org/index.htm)  categorises Trench Art thus:

• Objects collected from the battlefield by soldiers or non-combatants during or after the war and modified in some way to produce war mementoes
• Hand-crafted pieces created by soldiers during the war from battlefield detritus and sent home to their families
• Hand-crafted pieces created by soldiers or civilians from battlefield detritus to sell or barter to other soldiers or to non-combatants during the war
• Hand-crafted pieces made by prisoners of war in exchange for food, cigarettes or money
• Handicrafts made by wounded soldiers to relieve the boredom of their convalescence
• Post-war souvenirs made by ex-soldiers and civilians for sale to tourists and pilgrims visiting the battlefields
• 'Trench art style' manufactured wars souvenirs

(Jane A Kimball: Trench Art an Illustrated History)

To return to the original question about 'pairs', it is perhaps better if I say a word about the distinctions that I have seen over the years, and how I categorise them:

1. Exact Pair: (Photograph above) Two shell casings which look to be exactly the same. To me these may not ever have been intended to be a pair, and could stand alone, or together. More than two of this design may have been made by the same maker to be sold singly or in pairs.
2. Mirror Image Pair: (See the photograph of the floral pair below) These have the same motif which mirror each other when stood side by side. Although these too would look well on their own, the fact that they are still together implies that they are a true pair, and intended to be such.
3.  Complementary Pair: (See the 'Felix/Steph' photos below) These could be either of the above, however with a detail such as two different names or initials which seem to be personalised by or for the same owner.

Complementary and Mirror Image pair of shell casings
(Felix/Steph) Front

Complementary and Mirror Image pair of shell casings
(Felix/Steph) 

Pair of Mirror Image shell casings

I hope that this has clarified two of the myths regarding Trench Art and particularly shell casings , that a pair is not always a pair, and Trench Art was not always made in the trenches.  However, if anyone disagrees with me, you are more than welcome to comment, or discuss. Kind regards, Eamonn.