| Place | Africa: Egypt, Frontier, Sinai, Rafa |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | RELAWM00461 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Personal Equipment |
| Physical description | Steel, Wood |
| Location | Main Bld: First World War Gallery: Sinai Palestine 1917: Desert Patrol |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Date made | c 1917 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
Turkish entrenching tool : Private P Trapp, 12th Camel Company, AIF
Description
The spade-like tool has a fixed wooden handle ending in a ball finial, and a 'V' head steel blade. The lower half of the handle is encased in a metal sleeve secured by a steel collar. The blade is secured to the sleeve extension by 5 rivets. There is a bullet hole in the steel sleeve.
History / Summary
During the attack by the Desert Column on Rafa, a Turkish outpost guarding the Palestine frontier, on 9 January 1917 this entrenching tool was waved above the enemy parapet. Though 400 yards away, Private Peter Trapp of the 12th Camel Company took a snap shot and put a bullet through it. When the outpost was captured later in the day, Trapp searched for and found the tool bearing the evidence of his marksmanship. Trapp, a carpenter from Toowoomba, survived the war.