Apart from decoration, soldiers were also keen to make items that served a useful purpose. Cigarettes and tobacco were a vital pleasure for soldiers at the front, proven by them being the key contents of the 1914 Christmas Fund gift tins. In the wet, muddy conditions of the trenches for much of the year, keeping smoking materials dry was paramount. As a result, the construction of tobacco jars from shell cases was inevitable. Usually formed from the bases of two shells, with the join expertly worked to provide an airtight fit, tobacco jars are a common trench art item.
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