| Place | Middle East: Ottoman Empire, Turkey, Dardanelles, Gallipoli, Anzac Area (Gallipoli), Lone Pine Area, Lone Pine |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | RELAWM07833 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Heraldry |
| Physical description | Steel |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Australia |
| Date made | Unknown |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
Remains of a Pattern 08 entrenching tool : Lone Pine, Gallipoli
Description
Rusted cast iron 1908 pattern entrenching tool head. The spade end has been damaged by shrapnel, as has the hole where the helve (handle) would be placed. The spade is impressed with a partially legible circular maker's mark, '[S]EPTIMU[S] / AUGH [Illegible] / [illegible] E'.
History / Summary
This shrapnel damaged entrenching tool head was found by members of the of the Australian War Records Section (AWRS) at Lone Pine in January 1919. A small party of AWRS staff, led by Lieutenant William Hopkin James, worked on Gallipoli between December 1918 and March 1919, taking photographs and collecting items for the national collection.
The nature of the damage appears to have been caused by shrapnel or explosive force.
An entrenching tool was issued to each Australian infantryman along with a complete set of pattern 1908 webbing and equipment. The entrenching tool was an important piece of equipment carried by infantrymen when marching and fighting, attached to the right front side of their webbing for easy access. It was a versatile tool, used to dig defensive and fighting trenches, and was used as a weapon in the close confines of trenches for hand to hand fighting. When not being used, these heads were stored in a pouch suspended from the rear of the wearer's belt.