A from the collections of soldiers’ instruments held at the Historial of the Great War in Péronne and the Museum of Music in Paris, this contribution first proposes a kind of typology according to national, regional criteria; these instruments may also be differentiated according to whether they are manufactured or crafted, manufactured by professionals or improvised by soldiers; depending on whether they are used in regiments or during ring-fencing periods. Improvised lutheria often involves reemployment. It shows the scarcity of usable materials, the harshness of the tools available, the imagination of soldiers and often joiners. A detailed analysis of the technological processes used often refers to archaic lutheria. Many of these instruments bear memoranda (places, dates and circumstances, authors, auditors, etc.). The violun built for Maurice Maréchal (Museum of Music) and the one built by François Gervais are studied in more detail. The latter is accompanied by exceptional documentation which makes it possible to monitor the history of its construction and not only its use. Military combat and representation functions, escaping and enforcement functions are underlined. Finally, the processes of transmission by the descendants of soldiers to institutions are based on stories, images and testimonies that contribute to a true remembrance construction.