C054 - Collector's item: a carved folk-art cane/walking stick commemorating the Belgian town of Nieuport and the bloody battles fought along the defensive line of the Yser during World War I.
Approx. dimensions:
Overall length 34" / 865mm
Diameter of shaft 1.1" / 28mm, tapering down to 5/8" / 16mm
Medium weight, very sturdy.
A flower motif (probably roses) is repeated along the length of the stick, while a snake winds its way from bottom to top. In the spaces between these are carved the words "Souvenir - Nieuport - Yser" and the dates 1914 and 1917. Its apparent age is in keeping with the First World War period. The original ferrule was missing, and I have replaced this with a new steel-tipped brass one (which fitted like a glove, requiring no further preparation of the end of the stick). As always, I have secured the ferrule with hot-melt glue so that it can be readily replaced in future without damaging the stick.
Nieuport (French), or Nieuwpoort (Flemish), was a strategic fortified port on the Belgian coast to the south-west of Oostende. It lies at the mouth of the River Yser, which formed a natural defensive line, held by the Belgian and Allied armies until the German army finally broke through in late 1914. The town was virtually destroyed.
There was further fierce fighting in the region when the Allied armies attempted to regain their losses in 1917.
The stick may well have been made by a local artisan. The snake could represent the German occupation tightening its coils on the Flanders countryside. At the top of the shank is carved the simple shape of a heart.
This reminder of the events that took place along the Yser during 1914 and 1917 will be of particular interest to anyone having connections with the battlefields of Flanders, but it's also a very usable and interesting walking stick in its own right.