Empty casing is marked on the bottom with a faint “KARLSRUHE” and “1903 XII 101 C/97 98” There is also a faint “M” surmounted by a crown and on either side of the primer is a faint bursting bomb.

The casing is cut along the top edge and etched to simulate leaves while the body is decorated with the name of the town of “LILLE” and flanked by the years “1914” and “1918.”

The casing is for the German Hotchkiss 3.7 cm round.

Brass has a nice light patina. Artwork is well done.

Lille, France occupation by the Germans began on 13 October 1914 after a ten-day siege and heavy shelling, which destroyed 882 apartment and office blocks and 1,500 houses, mostly around the railway station and in the center. By the end of October, the city was being run by German authorities. Because Lille was only 20 km from the battlefield, German troops passed through the city regularly on their way to and from the front. As a result, occupied Lille became a place for the hospitalization and the treatment of wounded soldiers as well as a place for soldiers' relaxation and entertainment. Many buildings, homes and businesses were requisitioned to those ends.

Lille was liberated by the Allies on 17 October 1918, when General Sir William Birdwood and his troops were welcomed by joyous crowds.

Lille was also the hunting ground of the German World War I flying ace Max Immelmann, who was nicknamed "the Eagle of Lille".  [ad] [ph:L]

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