Short Magazine Lee-Enfield No 1 Mk III* (SMLE) Rifle : Sergeant Robert Henry Tuff, 13th Light Horse Regiment, AIF

Short Magazine Lee-Enfield No 1 Mk III* bolt action rifle. Receiver marked with a crown over GR BSA 1916 Sht LE III* under the bolt arm and the serial number on the breech ring. It has a walnut butt, forestock and two piece top handguard. The fore stock is damaged and the nose cap rusty. It is fitted with a brown leather sling.

A bullet fired from this rifle by Sergeant Robert Henry Tuff, B Squadron, 13th Light Horse Regiment is said to have mortally wounded Prince Frederick Karl of Prussia on 21 March 1917.

Prince Tassilo Wilhelm Humbert Leopold Friedrich Karl of Prussia (also known as Prince Frederick Karl or Frederick Charles of Prussia), was born on 6 April 1893, the son of Prince Frederick Leopold of Prussia and Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. He was an all round sportsman, playing football (soccer), running track, playing tennis (he played tennis in England in 1913 under the name F Karl), and also an accomplished rider, winning a bronze medal with the German men's equestrian team in the show jumping at the 1912 Olympics.

During the First World War he served with the German Air Force. He told some Australian troops that he had initially served with the cavalry, but found it too slow so joined the German air force.

Prince Frederick commanded and flew with Fliegerabteillung (Artillerie) 258, an artillery observation unit. He also flew with Jasta 2 (also called Jasta Boelcke) on occasion. He was flying an Albatros D1 with Jasta 2 when he was shot down about 4pm on 21 March 1917. He had become separated from his formation and was attacked by an aircraft from 32 Squadron Royal Flying Corps, flown by Lieutenant Charles Edward Murray Pickthorn. Although the prince's aircraft was shot through the engine and he was wounded in the foot, he managed to land in no man's land near Lagnicourt and tried to run to the German lines.

At that time a number of Australians were nearby, including members of B Squadron, 13th Light Horse Regiment and men of the 26th Infantry Battalion.

Men of both units opened fire on the prince when they saw him running for the German lines. One of the light horsemen, Sergeant Tuff, who was patrolling on foot, shot at him with this rifle.

The prince was hit in the back, with the bullet entering his stomach, damaging his kidney. The prince fell into a shallow trench where he was captured. While soldiers went back to the Australian lines to fetch stretcher bearers, Tuff and a member of the 26th Battalion, 1217 Private Clare Henry Horace Hall remained with the prince.

Afterwards, concerned that the 13th Light Horse were publically receiving credit for the capture, the 26th Battalion sent a sworn statement to Official War Correspondent CEW Bean giving credit for the capture to the 26th Battalion.

They stated it was 1821 Corporal Edward Powell who shot the prince and that he was captured by Hall. The 26th Battalion's account was recorded in the official history of the war written by Bean.

The prince was treated for his wounds but died of them at Rouen on his 24th birthday on 6 April 1917 and he was buried near the hospital. After the war his remains were reinterred in Germany.

In 1919 Tuff was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his work during the Bapaume operations in March 1917 and his work in September 1918. The former includes the period when he was at Lagnicourt. Recognising its significance, Tuff handed in this rifle to the Australian War Records Section in December 1917