item details
NameCigarette case
ProductionWilliam Neale & Sons Ltd.; manufacturer(s); 1914; United Kingdom
Classificationcigarette cases
Materialssilver
DimensionsOverall: 105mm (width), 90mm (height), 20mm (depth)
Registration NumberGH007701
Credit lineGift of Harry Bernard Whishaw, 1998
Overview
Harry Guthrie Whishaw (15 June 1885-3 July 1916) owned this silver cigarette case
Harry enlisted at Masterton on 12 August 1914. He served with the Wellington Infantry Battalion at Gallipoli, where he was wounded on 27 April. He was wounded again during the Chunuk Bair battle. Harry survived Gallipoli, but was killed in action in France during the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. His cigarette case was passed to Harry Bernard Whishaw (1919-2009) who donated it to Te Papa in 1998.
The case is slightly concave on the side and dented. It is hinged with a push-button clasp. The engraving on front cover reads "H.G. Whishaw Gallipoli 1915". Inside has matt gold coloured plating and springs attached to either side to keep cigarettes from falling out. The maker's marks are stamped inside (William Neale & Sons Ltd, a Birmingham firm).The case could have been a gift. At that time smoking was encouraged in the armed forces.
The cigarette case is on display at Te Papa in Gallipoli: The scale of our war.