Great War Objects by Martin Barry

Great War Objects by Martin Barry

This monograph explores British Conflict Related Metal Boxes (CRMBs) and the memories they contain that come directly from, or are influenced by, the First World War.

This book identifies for the reader many of the ‘tins’ and other CRMBs from the period of the First World War that were used to convey ‘comforts’ to the soldiers and sailors serving during the war. It details, often for the first time in print, the background context to the ‘gift-giving’ and places it in context regarding funding, eligibility, design and production. All of the examples given in the book (with the exception of one item that is so rare that it is represented only by a photograph) are taken from the author’s own collection which has allowed for a more in-depth examination and analysis of the materiality of these objects. So many of these objects are either so rare or are held in museums or collections which make understanding how they ‘feel’, far beyond the reach of literature or internet image accession can ever achieve alone.

This book is for students and researchers of modern conflict archaeology, material culture, military history and social history as well as collectors of militaria, antiques and social history objects.

Martin N. Barry gained his PHD, ‘A Box of Conflict Memories; Materiality, Memory and Princess Mary’s Gift Box 1914-2020’ from the University of Bristol.