With the example set by C.E.W. Bean and the instruction given by Lord William (Field Marshal) Birdwood the soldiers of the AIF became avid souvenir hunters and collectors.
One of the most infamous of the AIF collectors was John ‘Barney’ Hines of the 45th Battalion, nicknamed ‘The Souvenir King’. The service record of Private Hines is studied in digging for diggers, written by FFFAIF Vice President and editor of DIGGER, Graeme Hosken.
Two of the largest war trophies brought back to Australia were the Amiens Gun of which only the barrel remains and is on display at the Australian War Memorial and Mephisto : the last surviving German A7V Sturmpanzerwagen tank, which is on display in the Queensland Museum in Brisbane.
Photo: Amiens Gun, Australian War Memorial, Canberra. [Munro Collection]
The complete Amiens railway gun was on display at the Canberra Railway Station from 1923 to 1963 when it was moved to Port Wakefield, S.A. for a proof firing program. Unfortunately, the railway carriage mount was demolished for scap after the trials and only the barrel was retreived by the AWM (Source: War Trophies from the First World War 1914 – 1918, Major R. S. Billett).
Photo: Mephisto, Brisbane Museum, Queensland. [Munro Collection]
The Australian War Memorial’s Collection contains a photo of Mephisto after it had been salvaged from Monument Wood, near Villers-Bretonneux and handed over to the Australian War Records Section for despatch to Australia. Click here to view the AWM photo. The Queensland Museum website includes photos of the interior and the combat history, which may be accessed by clicking on Mephisto.
Many war memorials throughout Australia feature an artillery piece, some of which were Great War relics – often these were captured and returned to Australia as war trophies . Major R. S. Billett, in his book War Trophies from the First World War 1914 – 1918, identifies where these guns can be found and how they were allocated.
The Australian War Memorial has given pride of place to another part of it’s collection – The Menin Lions. These two large carved lions, originally guarded the Menin Gate at Ypres (Ieper), now they greet visitors on their arrival at the Memorial. To find out more about these two medieval stone lions click here.
Photo: Menin Lions at the Australian War Memorial Canberra [AWM]
*****
The Families and Friends of the First AIF thanks the Australian, UK and French governments for affording Australian and British soldiers – presently buried in mass graves at Pheasant Wood – dignified individual reburials in a new CWGC cemetery at Fromelles, and urge those responsible to ensure all necessary scientific and other means are employed to properly identify each soldier.