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WORLD WAR ONE US ARMY MEDICAL CORPS TRENCH ART –
MODEL 1910 CANTEEN CUP ID’d TO MAJOR GEORGE S. FODEN –
CO OF CAMP HOSPITAL NO. 10 IN THE MARNE REGION OF
FRANCE, 1918 - EXCELLENTLY EXECUTED DESIGNS WITH FULL
COVERAGE:
This theater-made piece of
World War One American Expeditionary Force Commemorative
Trench Art is a very unique offering in that it was
decorated by an officer who is identified in the
engraving, and from all appearances, the engraving was
executed during the time Major George S. Foden, USAMC,
M.D. was on the Western Front in France.
Major George S. Foden served with the American
Expeditionary Force as the commanding officer of the
U.S. Army Camp Hospital Number 10. Camp Hospital Number
10 was established in April, 1918, at Prauthoy,
Haute-Marne Department in northeastern France, and began
to operate April 20, 1918. The hospital was a standard
type B, 300-bed unit, capable of expanding to 360 beds
in an emergency. It served the tenth training area,
which was successively occupied by the 32nd, 29th, 79th,
and 82nd US Army Infantry Divisions. During the months
of April and May, 1918, the hospital was operated by the
medical staff of the 32nd Division and upon departure of
that division, was operated temporarily by Evacuation
Hospital No. 5. On June 28, 1918, the permanent
personnel of Camp Hospital No. 5 arrived, and took
charge of the facility on July 1, 1918. The hospital
ceased to function on March 23, 1919, and its personnel
were reassigned to other organizations for duty.
According to the date on Major Foden’s cup, he
apparently had separated from the hospital and had begun
his trip home to the United States prior to the closure
of the hospital.
Major Foden chose his Model 1910 Canteen Cup as his
canvas, and he executed a separate exquisitely detailed
design on each of the four sides and the bottom of the
cup. The front of the cup is fully covered with the
U.S. Army National Eagle, which incorporates all of the
minute detail of stars, feather veins, and legend on the
banner. The left side (as held by the handle) of the
cup bears the winged caduceus of the Medical Corps with
U. S. on each side of the staff. The right side of the
cup bears the oak leaf insignia of Foden’s rank – major,
again engraved in amazing detail. The back of the cup
is simply engraved “A. E. F.”. The bottom of the cup
was apparently executed during his return trip to the
United States, as it bears the legend:
HOMEWARD BOUND
MAJOR G. S. FODEN M.C.
MAR/11/19 BREST
FRANCE
Above this inscription is what appears to be a depiction
of one of the ward or pyramidal tents used for shelter
in the camp hospitals.
All of the engraving is fully legible and the cup
retains its full form with no dents or misshaping.
This is a spectacular piece of trench art from the Great
War, fully identified to the medical officer who created
it, and executed during the time of his service with the
AEF on the Western Front. (0901) $375
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