Cup Made From Section of Artillery Shell with Flowers

This brass shell has been cut down into a cup shape with scalloped top edges.  A pebbled area reveals embossed and engraved flowers and leaves.  Near the bottom edge is the inscription “Hamel”.  The Battle of Hamel was a successful attack involving trench warfare by the Australian Army and the US Army Infantry, including the 33rd Infantry Division from Illinois.  It happened on July 4, 1918, and provided a practical demonstration of tactics for attacking an entrenched enemy using combined arms tactics.  Corporal Thomas A Pope of the 33rd Infantry Division was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role at the Battle of Hamel.