Oil lamps made from shell cases are another example of an item made for use in the trenches themselves. Using the wick apparatus and glass chimney from a salvaged oil lamp, these would use shells as the reservoir for the oil. The heavy base and solid construction of the shell would have made the lamp much more stable and far stronger than the elaborate civilian versions made with thinner brass.

Electric lamps, by contrast, were usually another post-war conversion of a souvenir shell casing rather than something made during the conflict. They will usually be set on wooden bases and often have a regimental cap badge attached.

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Simple oil lamp, with a Cross of Lorraine etched design.

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Simple electric lamp, WW2 shell with, appropriately, a Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers cap badge attached.