| Place | Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Chuignes |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | RELAWM00966.001 |
| Collection type | Technology |
| Object type | Artillery Accessory |
| Location | Main Bld: First World War Gallery: Western Front 1918: Villers Bretonneaux |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Germany |
| Date made | 1914-1918 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
38 cm SK L/45 naval gun Bolt and nut : German
Description
Steel nut souvenired from a 38 cm S.K. L/45 naval gun captured by 3 Battalion, AIF at Arcy Wood near the village of Chuignes on 23 August 1918. The nut is smooth-shanked for half its length and has an hexagonal head and a matching hexagonal nut threaded on.
History / Summary
This bolt and nuts were souvenired from a 38 centimetre S.K. L/45 naval gun captured by 3 Battalion, AIF at Arcy Wood near the village of Chuignes on 23 August 1918. The gun had been used to shell Amiens, but to prevent it being used against them in their retreat the Germans destroyed the barrel before withdrawing from the area.
When the gun was captured it was found that a heavy charge had burst the chamber and torn off the projecting muzzle end, which lay partly buried in the mud. The carriage was completely shattered and debris of the explosion scattered over the surrounding area.
Too big to be readily moved, the gun was picked over for souvenirs. Eventually the Chuignes gun, as it became known, was decalared an Australian memorial. The whole site was finally cleared by the Germans for scrap during the Second World War.