Beech's & Scurry's Periscope & Self Firing Rifle.

This week for our ANZAC Firearm Friday we are shining some light on a well known Australian innovation - William Beech’s Periscope rifle & William Scurry Self-firing rifle they designed for trench warfare in the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey in 1915.

A periscope rifle is a rifle that has been adapted to enable it to be sighted by the use of a periscope. This enables the shooter to remain concealed below cover. The device was independently invented by a number of individuals in response to the trench warfare conditions of the First World War, and while it is not clear which army was the first to use periscope rifles, the weapons were in use by the end of 1914.

A form of periscope rifle was invented in May 1915 during the Gallipoli campaign by an Australian soldier, Lance Corporal, later Sergeant William Beech. At that time, Beech was serving in the 2nd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force. The device allowed a soldier to aim and fire a rifle from a trench without being exposed to enemy fire. Beech modified a standard Lee–Enfield .303 rifle by cutting the stock in half. The two halves were re-connected with a board and mirror periscope, horizontally aligned to the sights of the rifle, as well as a string to pull the trigger, which allowed the rifle to be fired from beneath the line of fire. According to the testimony of John Adams, a private who served with Beech, the idea came to Beech after the traumatic experience of seeing the bodies of fellow soldiers shot through the head.

Beech's device was quickly copied by other members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. It saw extensive use in the intense trench warfare of Gallipoli, where some lines of trenches were within 50 meters of one another. According to a Gallipoli campaign participant, Sir David G. Ferguson, the use of conventional rifles during daytime was abandoned in favour of periscope rifles. It was generally regarded as significantly less accurate than a conventional Lee–Enfield.

Periscope rifles were later manufactured in crude production lines on the beach at Anzac Cove. In 1921, the British War Office awarded Beech £100 for the invention.

The Retreat:

In December 1915 the Allies made the decision to evacuate the Peninsula and William Scurry a Lance Corporal in the Australian Imperial Force modified the periscope rifle into the “Self Firing” rifle, this was created to fool the Turkish soldiers into believe the trenches of the Allies were still manned ensuring the cover of the Allies whilst they retreated. The design worked simply by having water from one bully beef tin drip into a lower tin. When the water in the lower tin, which was attached to the trigger of the rifle, reached a certain weight, the rifle was fired. Another device ran a string, holding back the trigger, through a candle, which slowly burnt down, severed the string, and released the trigger.

These battlefield inventions provided timed random firing which helped convince the Turks that the Anzac front line was occupied. British generals estimated that half the force would be lost in any attempt to withdraw. The Turks were so deceived that 80,000 men were evacuated with only about half a dozen casualties. 

For his invention, Scurry was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and Mentioned in Despatches. Following the evacuation, after the AIF had returned to Egypt, Scurry was promoted to sergeant.

While none or very little “self firing” rifles were brought home after the war, our Periscope rifle was assembled locally and is a great reproduction compared to other examples we have seen in other displays around the country and we are always proud to have it as the first and last item you see in our museum.

Happy ANZAC Day everyone!.