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Ammunition boxes, such as this 30-caliber shell box, carried ammunition in World War II (WWII) for weapons like the automatic rifle. The boxes had to be constructed to survive harsh conditions. For this reason they were sturdy and watertight, though heavy. Empty "ammo" boxes would have been considered "trash" by the military, but soldiers at the front saved them for their usefulness. They were good for keeping items dry and in a pinch, served as a small table or seat. Today, surviving ammunition boxes from WWII are collectors' items. This ammunition box was brought back to Massachusetts with the Yankee Division at the close of WWII. It was a gift to Christopher R. Pichette of Deerfield, Massachusetts, the seventh child of Robert Pichette of Ashfield, who served in WWII.

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Ammunition Box

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