*British, WW1, 63rd Royal Naval Hood Division Trench Art Ashtray, Shell Base with Original Hood Badge*
A rare piece of Royal Navy trench art crafted from the steel base of a shell casing and repurposed as an ashtray. The top is cut with four cigarette rests, while the body retains its aged, corroded texture, bearing all the hallmarks of hand-worked wartime salvage. Affixed to the front is an original brass badge of the Royal Naval Division Hood, featuring the ship’s crest: a seabird before an anchor, over a scroll with the motto “Steady Hood.”
Measurements: 7 cm diameter at base, 7.5 cm at top, 5.4 cm tall.
Historical Note:
The 63rd (Royal Naval) Division (RND) was a unique formation of the First World War, created largely from Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel who were surplus to naval requirements at sea. Instead of serving as sailors, they fought as infantry, making the RND one of the most unusual divisions in British military history.
The Royal Naval Division was formed between August and September 1914.
It was composed of naval reservists, Royal Marines, and volunteers from naval shore establishments.
The division was organised into eight naval infantry battalions named after well-known Royal Navy commanders: Benbow, Collingwood, Hawke, Drake, Nelson, Howe, Hood, Anson.
It also included Royal Marine battalions and supporting naval artillery units.
The division was created on the initiative of Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, who proposed using surplus naval personnel as infantry.
The Hood Battalion was one of the original battalions of the Royal Naval Division.
It was named after Admiral Samuel Hood and was mainly composed of naval reservists.
Campaigns and Operations
1. Antwerp (1914)
The Hood Battalion took part in the defence of Antwerp in October 1914.
The operation was poorly organised, and the battalion suffered heavy casualties, with many personnel captured.
2. Gallipoli (1915–1916). The Royal Naval Division, including the Hood Battalion, served at:
Cape Helles (April 1915)
Second Battle of Krithia
Third Battle of Krithia
Defence of the Helles bridgehead
The battalion experienced high losses caused by difficult terrain, insufficient supply support, and continuous Ottoman resistance.
3. Western Front (1916–1918)
In 1916 the division was redesignated as the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. The Hood Battalion participated in:
Somme (Beaumont Hamel, November 1916) – regarded as one of the division’s most effective actions.
Battle of Arras (1917)
Passchendaele / Third Ypres (1917)
Battle of Cambrai (1917) – involved in the German counter-attack defence.
Hundred Days Offensive (1918) – including advances to the River Scarpe and actions near the Canal du Nord.
Disbandment
The division was disbanded in 1919.
Remaining naval personnel either returned to naval service or were demobilised.
Notable Personnel
Sub-Lieutenant Rupert Brooke, the poet, served in the Hood Battalion and died in 1915.
