France, 1930s
Even if we do not know the exact year this pipe was made, based on its markings and historical context, we can reasonably place it at the very end of the 1930s or, at the latest, 1940. The year 1940 was tragic for France. The country attempted to resist the German invasion but ultimately faced capitulation, leading to the occupation of a significant part of its territory and the establishment of a puppet regime in the rest.
Against the backdrop of these events, the engraving “CRUEL EXIL – 40 – 41” may have been carved by a French soldier, possibly a junior officer, who found himself unable to remain in France alongside his beloved Ninette after such upheaval. He may have been sent to one of France’s African colonies—perhaps to French Equatorial Africa or Cameroon, where the forces of Charles de Gaulle’s “Free France” were gathering and organizing.
And since the pipe has survived through the decades to reach us, we can hold onto the hope that its owner eventually returned home—to France, and to his beloved Ninette.
Pipe markings “AMITIE \ AFRICAINE”, “Bruyere \ GARANTIE”, “CRUEL EXIL – 40 – 41”, “NINETTE”
Length 13.3 cm (5.24″)
Bowl Height 3.9 cm (1.54″)
Outside Diameter 3.4 cm (1.34″)
Chamber Diameter 1.9 cm (0.75″)
Chamber Depth 3.6 cm (1.42″)
Weight 29 gr.
Briar, vulcanite stem, aluminium air cooler.
The pipe is not for sale. It was restored to order and has already started a new life in a new cozy home.
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