Unique WW1 personalised Cape Corps 1918 trench art on Italian 65/17 mountain gun shell

Unique WW1 personalised Cape Corps 1918 trench art on Italian 65/17 mountain gun shell

The shell

This is an Italian-made 65/17 mountain gun (cannone de 65/17) shell, made by Breda Meccanica Bresciana (Brescia plant of Breda), whith the headstamp "MB", dated "918", which is 1918. It is common in Italy, Spain and Turkey to express dates on headstamps without the first digit.

The name 65/17 refers to the width of the shell (65mm) and the length of the barrel (17 calibre). The shell is 172mm high. The cannon served Italy during WW1 and WW2. It was usually horse-drawn, but was mounted on trucks in North Africa and used as anti-tank artillery. One of the two "AP" stamps on this shell most likely refers to armour piercing. 

The trench art

The shell has been formed into a vase, with 5 vertical and 3 horisontal indentations, as well as a flared mouth. The following words have been punched on the outer shell: CAPE CORPS 131 L Coy. This was most likely made by someone with regimental number 131. We are not sure about the refernce to L Company, as we could only find references to A, B, C and D Companies for the Cape Corps. On closer inspection, it looks like the L has been changed at the top to a C, but that's part of the mystery of this piece. 

The history

The Cape Corps was one of South Africa's longest serving military units. It was formed in 1781 as a corps for Coloured soldiers, and operated intermittently and under various names until 1991. This shell dates from the time of the Cape Corps's most famous combat operation, namely the Battle of Square Hill (16-18 September 1918) in what was then known as Palestine. It was this battle that earned the Cape Corps its combat reputation and for which the Palestine 1918 Battle Honour was awarded.