The Trench Art Shell of Killed-in-Action Officer John Baldwin Gifted by Marine Corps General Smedley Butler’s Mother

“A Gift From a Friend to Another; John Stokes Baldwin, Whose Devotion to his Country Furnishes a Lesson by Which Every American Should Profit. Maud Darlington Butler”

This is a magnificent large caliber artillery shell casing mounted on a wooden base, meticulously engraved and gifted to John Stokes Baldwin by Maud Darlington Butler, wife of Thomas S. Butler and mother of Marine Corps Major General Smedley Darlington Butler, 2x Medal of Honor & USMC Brevet Medal recipient. John Stokes Baldwin was killed in action on October 6th, 1918, while serving as 2nd Lieutenant in Company M, 4th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division.

Graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1911 and from Law School in 1913, John Baldwin became a prominent young lawyer in Chester County, Pennsylvania, taking after his father, Thomas W. Baldwin. John became very good friends with Congressman & Judge Thomas S. Butler and his family, and at some point between 1917 and when he left for France in April 1918, Judge Butler’s wife, Maud Darlington Butler, gifted John this tremendous engraved artillery shell.

The throat is stamped thin and folded down, and may have been an ashtray at one point. It is a little over 8 inches in diameter, and the shell itself was likely around 28-29 inches tall before being turned into art. The nut holding the base to the shell is seized so I cannot lift the shell to read the stamps. It stands 31″ tall all together.

I have not found conclusive mention of Baldwin’s relationship with Smedley Butler, but being very close with his mother and father makes it clear he would have at least known him. At the time of his death, Smedley Butler was the most decorated Marine in U.S. military history. By the end of his career, Butler had received sixteen medals, including five for heroism; he was awarded the Marine Corps Brevet Medal as well as two Medals of Honor, both for separate actions.

Smedley Darlington Butler

There was a memorial service held for John Stokes Baldwin by the Chester County Bar Association on February 28th, 1919. Congressman Thomas S. Butler was sick and unable to attend, but sent a heartfelt tribute to be read in his place. It reads:

“We never assembled, no bar ever assembled on an occasion of this character, with a deeper feeling of love and admiration for the absent member than we entertain now. As much as we esteem the inestimable blessings of peace, as much as we hoped that peace would abide with us always, next to our God we cherish and revere most, those men who, when there is war, give themselves to their countries’ service. Theirs is the supreme sacrifice.

John Baldwin was a sweet, fine boy, a joyous, gentle, manly man. Naturally he was inclined to cultivate the arts of peace, but he possessed a stern sense of duty, and when war came to us, and the call for men went out, he volunteered, gave himself to his country’s service in the most horrible of all wars, with the strong probability that death would be the measure of his sacrifice.

His was the crowded hour. In his life’s brief span he did his whole duty nobly, so fully and so nobly that though dead, he is immortal.

Always will he live in the grateful, loving hearts of his countrymen. He was succeeding well at the bar, and would certainly have made his mark there. But how insignificant would have been that mark, in comparison with the one he has made. We all know that even great success in our profession, results in a mark that is little less evanescent than a lead pencil line in the presence of water.

May God grant that our hero’s perfect achievement, that the honor and the glory he has won, and that upon his family and his countrymen, may to a substantial extent mitigate the grief, even of those who were nearest to him.”

Baldwin’s body was disinterred on July 21st, 1921, being received by his family on September 16th, 1921.

This is a rather outstanding artifact of the First World War belonging to a soldier who never returned home to enjoy it. John Stokes Baldwin’s memory will live on forever in the hearts and minds of those who came after, and I am grateful to the Doughboy Foundation for the opportunity to share his story.

Michael R. Santoro is a historic researcher & antiquarian of the First World War. After finishing his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architecture & Historic Preservation at the University at Buffalo, New York, he spent a year developing a museum in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and another year freelancing research in order to preserve the stories of soldiers long forgotten.  He now works full time at International Military Antiques in Gillette, New Jersey as a Historical Research Specialist & Authenticator, preserving countless items & stories across all nations and eras.

External Web Site Notice: This page contains information directly presented from an external source. The terms and conditions of this page may not be the same as those of this website. Click here to read the full disclaimer notice for external web sites. Thank you.