From trenches around Salerno

**matteo** · 07-02-2009, 04:51 PM

From german, english and USA trenches around Salerno. Some idea about these objects?

**Jan** · 07-02-2009, 06:46 PM

Looks like a nice mix of military/civilian stuff from ww2 the white bead for instance is fom a german stick grenade. Nothing very spectacular but then again always very interesting to see this kinda stuff.

Carry on

)

**big ned** · 07-02-2009, 07:04 PM

The two bottles in pic 1 appear to be smelling salts. The ribbed sides show that the contents are poisonous/not to be ingested. Take the lid off and have a whiff! I'll bet their still working (albeit maybe in a pretty feeble way!) and it won't hurt you.....probably.

Regards, Ned.

**Jan** · 07-02-2009, 07:09 PM

Ned´s our chemical friend

Btw looks like some of the guys got interrupted while eating Cuisina Italiana... Not a bad way to go

**big ned** · 07-02-2009, 07:38 PM

Looking again over the pic's again, the german stick grenade toggle has below it what looks like a felt nail, but the two nails below that are, i'm pretty certain, roman hobnails. They may well have been on soldiers boot 2000 years ago! (They were actually a type of sandal called 'Caligae'.)

Hail Caesar! Ned.

**Jan** · 07-02-2009, 07:43 PM

As an archaeologist i have to admit that these look Ad 100 to me too.

Hail whoever Jan

**Steve T** · 07-02-2009, 10:16 PM

Hi there

Some nice finds

I agree with Ned that the top bottles are medicine bottles (being a Pharmacist you would hope I know !!) but they are too big for smelling salts bottles. A bottle that size full of the stuff would take your head off. More likely a solution/suspension of something that, over the years, the liquid has drained away. I wouldn't recommend undoing them by the way........we were still using compounds of Strychnine and Arsenic AND mercury in those days......you never know what the stuff is !

The rusty bottle with the silver screw lid is I thought, to begin with, was almost certainly a hip flask. But closer examination reveals the word 'teeth' and the remains of some colouration on the front. This confuses me even more because the only type of thing I've seen with that kind of lid is either a hip flask or an up market talcum powder 'shaker'. Has the cap got holes in it ?

The badly rusted spoon and fork were part of a soldiers 'fold away' utensils.

The two rusty 'bottles' look like the larger type of 'sparklet' (CO2 containers used for carbonating water)

The two ovalish things with the buttons and studs are the same type as used on the cover to an American water bottle.....but they were used on other things to.

And the coin.....German 'deutches Reich' 1, 5 or 10 pfennig coin. Dated 194? (can't make out last number). Definitely WW2 era German coin.

Hope this helps !

Steve T