Turkish soldier's leather shoe : Lieutenant J H Wilson, 15 Battalion, AIF

Soldier's leather shoe made from thick cow hide. The one piece sole curves to cover the lower part of the foot, and meets in a traditional Middle Eastern upturned point at the front. The upper is covered with a semi-circular piece of leather reaching to the instep. The top edge of the heel section is formed from a double fold of leather and appears to have been repaired with a piece of harness on the left side. A leather strap, threaded through a keeper in the centre front, secures the shoe over the instep with a metal buckle. The shoe is hand sewn except for the repaired section on the heel.

This shoe was collected at Gallipoli by Lieutenant James Henry Wilson, who was born in the United Kingdom on 11 September 1886. He married Margaret Lilian and they had two children, Margaret and Mary, before he travelled to Australia, presumably for his work as a commercial traveller and agent. Margaret and the children remained in the United Kingdom.

Wilson had previously served with the militia in England and he enlisted with the AIF in early 1915. He held the rank of sergeant when, in April, he applied for a commission in the AIF, which was approved in July and he was made a second lieutenant. On 16 August 1915 he embarked aboard HMAT Kyarra from Brisbane in charge of the 8th reinforcements of the 15th Battalion.

He joined his unit on Lemnos in October, before arriving at Gallipoli 2 November. The 15th Battalion primarily served at Hay Valley in the Northern ANZAC sector during the next few months, and it may have been there that Wilson collected this shoe. Wilson served at Gallipoli until the night before the final evacuation, although the 15th Battalion had left the night of 13-14 December, as he had half of D company on beach garrison.

After the Gallipoli campaign, Wilson was promoted to lieutenant and served in the Canal Zone in Egypt, until he was transferred to the newly formed 47th Battalion. In June 1916 he was promoted to Captain and embarked for France.

On 7 August he was wounded in the right arm and arm pit. His arm was amputated and after he recovered he was transferred to a training battalion in England. In March 1918 he returned to Australia. His wife and three children (a son, James was born while Wilson was serving in England) joined Wilson in Australia in late 1918.