German ersatz jumping-off tape, Hamel area : Captain A H Dow, 4 Field Company Engineers

Roll of jumping-off tape made from woven paper.

This German jumping-off tape was used for jumping off lines found at Hamel after the battle on 4 July 1918. It was recovered by Captain Arthur Herbert Dow, 4 Field Company Engineers.

Dow was born in Bylands, near Kilmore, Bourke. He was 23 years old at enlistment on 18 September 1914 and had previously served with the Royal Australian Engineers and was a Military Staff clerk. During his service at Gallipoli and in France, he was promoted to Captain on 16 June 1917 and awarded the Military Medal on 4 June 1918. On 8 October 1918 he returned to Australia per Kaiser-i-Hind.

Guide tape was used by all the major combatants in the First World War to mark jumping off points for assaults and attacks. A roll would be unravelled along the ground to define the width of an attack, generally aligning with the intended compass direction of the attack. They were also used as paths to guide the troops forward to their forming-up line. These tapes were especially useful when multiple waves were required to be concentrated in specific areas, to prevent confusion, and at times of poor light (evening or morning attacks) - hence the colour.

The tape also demonstrates the use of ersatz (substitute) materials by the Germans, developed when the Allied naval blockade prevented the import of raw materials. Material made from a combination of paper and cotton or wool rags was successfully used in place of traditional fabrics and leather, in both civilian and military applications.