Soldiers' Brass Pull-Chain Rosaries of World War I

Soldiers’ Brass Pull-Chain Rosaries of World War I

by Dr. Helen Hoffner

            Rosaries carried by military personnel must be as strong as the brave men and women who fight for their country.  During World War I, chaplains of the United States Armed Forces gave brass rosaries to sailors and soldiers.   Seemingly indestructible, these brass rosaries resembled the pull-chains found on military dog-tags, sink stoppers, and light switches. For that reason, they were sometimes called pull-chain or plumbers’ rosaries.  Various companies, including Di Roma, began making brass rosaries for the military in 1916.  The rosary crucifixes made by each company varied but the center medal was always the same, Jesus carrying His cross on one side, and Mary on the reverse.  Chaplains were pleased to distribute shiny new rosaries.  Soldiers, however, feared that the shine from a brass rosary might reveal their location to enemies so they dulled or blackened them.        
     The Soldiers’ Brass Pull-Chain rosary is highly prized but today’s antique enthusiasts are sometimes disappointed when the examples they find at estate sales or flea markets have been dulled. Those rosaries, however, might actually be more significant because they may have been blackened and then clutched by soldiers in tense moments on the battlefield.  Brass soldiers’ rosaries pay tribute to the courage of men and women in military service.
            Every rosary, whether it be made of brass, crystal, pearls, or seeds, tells a story.  After years of research, my mother and I wrote, The Rosary Collector’s Guide, a 152 page book with over 200 color photographs of rosaries approved by the Catholic Church.   The Rosary Collector’s Guidehonors rosary makers and explains the origins of rosaries approved by the Catholic Church.