Directory of Allocated War Trophies - WW1
South Australia
Following World War I weapons captured from German, Austria/Hungary and Turkish forces were distributed amongst the allied nations as reminders of the bravery and sacrifice of the soldiers involved. In Australia Committees were set up in each state to manage the distribution. Some were retained for what would become the Australian War Memorial, others distributed to Army units to which the guns capture was linked and others to communities and schools. The type and size of the weapon allotted depended on the size of the town and conditions for allocation varied between States. Generally the community accepted responsibility to display the trophy, pay the cost of its transportation, arrange a ceremony to unveil the trophy and accept responsibility for its maintenance. Below is a list of the war trophy guns distributed throughout South Australia in the 1920s and has been compiled from cards held by the Australian War Memorial.
a.
Ceded - where the trophy is now situated was originally allotted,
b.
Nature - the calibre, and where possible the type, of the gun,
c.
Number - the registered number of the gun,
d.
Captured - the date on which the gun was captured,
e.
Unit - the unit responsible for the capture of the gun,
f.
Place - the place where the gun was captured, and
g.
Remarks - additional comments including present whereabouts if different from ceded.
