Periscope rifle

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A periscope rifle was first invented by Sergeant William Beech, a builders foreman, 2nd Battalion NSW, of the Royal Australian Army Corps in May, 1915. [1] The weapon consisted of a standard rifle along with a board and mirror periscope, which looked along the sights of the rifle, fitted to it with a string based trigger pull allowing actuation of the trigger from beneath the line of sight of the firearm.

It found extensive use, mostly in the form of an impromptu construction, in the trench warfare of Gallipoli where some lines of trenches, such as the parapets at Quinn's post were within 50 meters of one another. The purpose of the device was to allow a soldier to take aim from a trench and fire with accuracy without exposing himself to enemy fire.

The rifles were produced in crude factory production lines on the beach in Anzac Cove. Although noted as less effective than conventional weapons, the periscope rifle proved to be a useful weapon to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at the time and later saw use in other trench based conflicts around the world.