Hi Tim and Lew
Tim I followed the 'trench art' stick as well....I wondered whether the bullet had talismatic symbolism. The bullet ...a 'taker of life' held in an authoritarian hand .....the power of life and death ???
If you look at the hilt Lew post ...there appears to be a cylindrical object slightly protruding above and below the fist ....perhaps this has meaning? It is not unlikely that this 'cylindrical' motif could have been replaced with the bullet in the 'trench art' example
Possibly making the 'trench art' stick African ...as the machete appears to be.
Regards David