The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
Ladle or pan manufactured in the field from a damaged Mk VI water bottle of the type issued to British and empire troops. The blue enamelled bottle has been struck by a bullet which has punctured the outer bottom seam, rendering it useless for water storage. The outer face of the bottle has been roughly cut out and a 16 cm length of dressed timber inserted into the neck to produce a handle for the ladle.
This ladle was found at Anzac Cove in January 1919 by Lieutenant William Hopkin James when he was working on Gallipoli, leading a small party from the Australian War Records Section, taking photographs of the Anzac area and collecing items for the national collection.
This ladle was manufactured by Australian or New Zealand troops on Gallipoli in 1915. It was made form a damaged water bottle, and illustrates the difficulties the troops had in acquiring items on the peninsula, particularly during the early stages of the campaign. There were no canteens at Anzac from which men could obtain ordinary utensils with which to augment the meagre supply on issue by the various battalions. Enterprising soldiers used skill and ingenuity to fill the demand by improvising useful articles out of battlefield debris.
Rectangular piece of tin sheet, possibly cut from an army biscuit tin, with a roughly rolled bottom edge. In the centre of the sheet a roughly rectangular section has been crudely punched with holes t
Draughts board made from a piece of wooden box (probably pine). A rough square has been drawn on the wood in graphite pencil, approximately 50 mm from the top of the board, and approximately 25 mm fro
Damaged Mk VI blue enamel water bottle. Large sections of enamel have been chipped from the water bottle. There are four bullet or shrapnel holes in the bottle : one large hole in the front, one in th
Damaged Light Horse blue enamel water bottle in leather carrier, which is missing the shoulder strap. The remains of the original khaki woollen cover can be seen beneath the top horizontal length of l
Damaged Mk VI blue enamel water bottle. Large sections of the enamel enamel have been chipped from the water bottle. There are four bullet or shrapnel holes in the bottle. Two holes - one on each side
German 1907 pattern ovoid shaped canteen [water bottle]. One side of the water bottle is concave; the other is convex. The short neck has been damaged and folded in on itself. The body is dented and f
