Eastern Adelaide Teacher resource.pdf - Army Museum of South ...

Memorial Kensington and Norwood War Trophies (cannons)
Address Osmond Terrace, Norwood
Background Information
War trophies are captured objects that
have been taken from the battlefield.
The history of claiming trophies or
spoils of war from defeated enemies
dates back thousands of years. During
World War I, trophies captured by the
Allies were specially marked with a tag
which included the name of the unit that
captured the piece and the date and time.
Soldiers carried these labels into battle
ready to tag captured items according to
War Office regulations. During World
War I, Australian troops captured large numbers of guns of all types. The ground
taken and consequently the trophies claimed by Australian soldiers far exceeded the
comparative size of our contribution to the allied forces on the Western Front. Many
items were acquired including rifles, trench mortars, machine guns and various
artillery pieces, including one large gun, the Amiens Gun, which was mounted on a
railway carriage at Harbonnieres, France. After the war, items such as the Amiens
Gun were transported back to Australia. Under the Australian War Trophies Act of
1919, communities were allocated these trophies in recognition of their contribution
to Australia's war effort.
In addition to official war trophies claimed by the government individual soldiers also
brought back other items of memorabilia from the Boer War and subsequent conflicts.
These were often easily carried items, some of which were obtained from enemy
soldiers. Some of these had personal or cultural significance to the original owners
and their relatives. A small number of these items, mostly acquired during the Second
World War, have been returned to thankful relatives over recent years. However, the
great majority of Australia’s wartime memorabilia remains in private hands with some
forming part of displays in local Returned and Services League (RSL) halls. The term
wartime memorabilia includes a wide range of objects and material. Common items
include wartime diaries, swords, flags, letters, badges, postcards, buttons, weapons,
uniforms, hats and helmets, ration cards, medals, weapons, ammunition and trench art.
Student Activities
On Site
(1) The war trophy (large gun) which is located closest to the Kensington and
Norwood Soldiers’ Memorial was captured by the Australian Light Horse
in the Middle East during World War I. It is a World War I howitzer.
What is the number of the gun, its German maker and the year of
manufacture of this gun? Hint: Check the back of the breech.
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