WW1 Souvenir Toothpick Barrel- HMS Elizabeth Dardanelles 1915

A Gallipoli interest item .

Turned miniature barrel-form relic carved from teak wood of the H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth. The brass engraved plaque on the side reads, "From the Teak of H.M.S. 'Queen Elizabeth' Dardanelles 1915 Earl Beatty's Flagship Grand Fleet 1917."

The HMS Queen Elizabeth was built in Portsmouth, England, in 1915, one of five battleships that belonged to the same class. These five were the first to use oil for fuel or mount 15-inch guns, and the fastest at the time. The Queen Elizabeth served in World War I as the flagship of the East Mediterranean Squadron and supported the Gallipoli landings. From 1916 to 1918, it was Admiral Sir David Beatty's flagship and the German fleet officially surrendered on its decks. The ship later served in the Atlantic and Meditteranean and underwent extensive alterations between 1937 and 1941. Damaged in December 1941 during World War II, the ship was repaired again, this time in the United States. The ship re-entered service in 1943 and supported Allied landings in Indonesia and Burma through the end of the war. It was sold in 1948.

2. 1/8 inches tall x 2 inches diameter

Code: 1202