| Place | Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Amiens Harbonnieres Area, Hamel Area, Hamel |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | RELAWM00835 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Uniform |
| Physical description | Wool |
| Location | Main Bld: First World War Gallery: Western Front 1918: Hamel |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Germany |
| Date made | c 1917-1918 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
German army other ranks shoulder strap : 59th Field Artillery Regiment
Description
Field grey wool shoulder strap, with plain edge and machine edged buttonhole at the neck end. The strap bears an appliqued red wool cloth exploding grenade, above a machine chain stitched numeral '59'.
History / Summary
Single shoulder straps were routinely removed from dead or captured Germans for intelligence purposes, so that the names of the German units opposing the Allied forces could be established.
This shoulder strap was taken by a member of the 43rd Battalion, AIF, at the battle of Hamel, on 4 July 1918, from a private of the 59th Field Artillery Regiment, who was on duty in an observation post when he was captured.