Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. Trench art is any decorative item made by soldiers, prisoners of war, or civilians where the manufacture is directly linked to armed conflict or its consequences. It offers an insight not only to their feelings and emotions about the war, but also their surroundings and the materials they had available to them.

Not limited to the World Wars, the history of trench art spans conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day. Although the practice flourished during World War I, the term 'trench art' is also used to describe souvenirs manufactured by service personnel during World War II. Some items manufactured by soldiers, prisoners of war or civilians during earlier conflicts have been retrospectively described as trench art.

This is a great carved smoking pipe which was carved in the city of Pretoria, South Africa on June 5th, 1900. The war had three phases. In the first phase, the Boers mounted preemptive strikes into British-held territory in Natal and the Cape Colony, besieging the British garrisons of Ladysmith, Mafeking, and Kimberley. The Boers then won a series of tactical victories at Stormberg, Magersfontein, Colenso and Spion Kop.

In the second phase, after the number of British troops greatly increased under the command of Lord Roberts, the British launched another offensive in 1900 to relieve the sieges, this time achieving success. After Natal and the Cape Colony were secure, the British army was able to invade the Transvaal, and the republic's capital, Pretoria, was ultimately captured in June 1900. This pipe was carved in commemoration of the capture of Pretoria.

The pipe’s mouthpiece has broken off but could be replaced. The spacer is marked ASHTE, for the maker. A great example, ready for further research and display.

History of the Boer Wars:
The Boer Wars is the name used to refer to the armed conflicts in South Africa between descendants of Dutch settlers (the Boers) and British colonists. Following the first Boer War of 1880-81, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, William Gladstone, granted the Boers self-government in the Transvaal.

However, the Boers, under the leadership of Paul Kruger, resented the policies of Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain and High Commissioner and Governor-General of the Cape Alfred Milner. Fearing the Transvaal would be denied independence, the Boers acquired military equipment from Germany. Between October 1899 and January 1900, Boer insurgents conducted a series of successful raids across the Transvaal border into the Cape Colony and Natal. Although the Boers only fielded 88,000 soldiers, they were able to successfully besiege the British garrisons at Ladysmith, Mafeking and Kimberley.

After Army reinforcements arrived in South Africa in 1900, British command launched a series of counter offensives to relieve the garrisons. In addition, British forces seized control of the Boer capital, Pretoria.

For the following 21 months, bands of Boer commandos conducted a series of bitter raids against isolated British troops. Lord Kitchener, the Chief of Staff in South Africa, reacted by destroying Boer farms and moving civilians into prison camps. Leading Liberal politicians (and most of the independent Labour Party) strongly opposed British actions in South Africa calling them the worst excesses of imperialism.

Finally, in May 1902, a peace was achieved with the signing of the Treaty of Vereenigin. The settlement dissolved the Boer Republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State. However, the British conceded to the Boers £3 million for restocking and repairing farm lands and promised eventual self-government (that was finally granted in 1907).