German M1915/17 canteen : Villers-Bretonneux

Tin plated steel canteen with a longer neck than the previous 1907 model canteen, and with a cork stopper with a ribbed-metal top. A black leather neck-strap and a steel clip attachment are secured around the neck. The brown cotton corduroy cover is secured around the body with four press-studs. An early Australian War Records Section or Australian War Memorial label is tied to the neck with string, annotated in ink: '1/3 Water Bottle German / Found at the furthest point reached by the Germans. / (Villers-Bretonneaux).'

This standard middle-war pattern German canteen is of the pattern introduced in mid-1915 and made from tin-plated steel rather than from aluminium, as the previous 1907 pattern had been. This new pattern also dispensed with the leather harness for the canteen body and instead used a simple neck-strap and clip buckle to attach it to the wearer's belt. To allow the strap to be secured properly, the canteen's neck was made longer and narrower. This new version was known as the M 1915/17 canteen.

Along with a German haversack (see RELAWM00723) and a German mess tin (see RELAWM00724), this canteen was found on the high ground to the north-west of Villers-Bretonneaux, and marked the farthest point reached by the Gemans in the attack of 24 April 1918. The Germans, having dug-in and emplaced their machine-guns, had ceased work to eat a late meal when, on the night of the 24th, they were surprised by the counter-attack of the 13th and 15th Brigades and by 4 o'clock next morning they had been driven back almost to their starting point.