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Description: | An incomplete, broken and mis-shapen silver finger ring of very modern date (1910-1945 AD) relating directly to the Second World War. The ring fragment comprises the bezel and both shoulders; the hoop is lost, and the fragment is distorted by being squashed. The hoop was D-shaped in cross-section, flaring at the shoulders to form an oval decorated bezel. The bezel is inlaid with an enamelled design consisting of a centrally positioned cross pattee, the interior of which is recessed and filled with black enamel. The cross is enclosed within an oval border, and the spaces between the border and the cross are filled with a white paste or enamel. The edges of the cross abut the oval which respects the exterior edge of the bezel. This hoop is also encircled with a much finer band of decayed enamel, which in places seems to be white while in others a mid grey or black colour. One shoulder may also be decorated with a grey lentoid shape, positioned to point to the centre of the cross, but not interrupting the enamelled design. It is possible, however, that this shape on the shoulder may be due to differential corrosion, as a similar design is not discernible on the opposite shoulder. The internal surface of the hoop has an uneven grey patina which covers all surfaces. The ring fragment measures 19.0mm length, it has a maximum of 12.5mm width across the bezel, and is 1.3mm thick at the same point. The hoop of the ring is 2.6mm wide and 0.8mm thick. The ring weighs 1.5g.As yet no precise parallels have been found for this finger-ring, but it is most likely to date from the Second World War, probably belonging to a German prisoner of war. The design on the front is probably a representation of the Iron Cross, and the findspot is close to a recorded PoW camp located at The Sheet, Ludlow. This camp is listed as Camp Number 84 and was classed as a German working camp - the most common form of PoW camp in the country (Thomas RJC 2003 Prisoner of War Camps 1939 - 1948, English Heritage). The Sheet Camp is partially demolished - all that remains is a single water tower - so this is an important artefact linking to the period.A similar finger ring was recorded in 2011 from the Ercall Area, Shropshire see record number: HESH-0E2B96 (http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/476847).
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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