Turkish Army officer's pocket watch : Beersheba, 1917

Turkish Army issue officer's Hunter pocket watch. The case is of silvered brass. Both sides bear identical arabesque decoration at the top and bottom. There is a blank shield shape in the centre of one side designed to be engraved with the owner's initials, and the crescent and star symbol of the Ottoman Empire on the other side. The inside of each half of the case is impressed with the Turkish Army's trophy of arms together with the manufacturer's marks of a bull's head, a lion and the initials 'FR'. The white enamelled watch face bears black painted arabic symbols and numbers around the edge for the hours and seconds. In the centre, in red, is another trophy of arms. The inside workings of the watch are impressed 'REPASSE EN SECOND/REPASADO DE SEGUNDA MANI'. A solid silver ring is set into the top of the case so that the watch can be attached to a watch chain.

This watch is said to have been taken from a Turkish Army officer who was captured by members of the Australian light horse at Beersheba in October 1917.

It is associated with the service of 19957 Private Hugh Alexander Pilley who enlisted in the AIF on 5 June 1917. He had previously attended the AIF Signal School but had been discharged at his mother's request because she considered that he had a weak chest.

After his re-enlistment and training Pilley was assigned to 1 Signal Squadron Engineers and sailed for Egypt aboard SS Canberra on 16 November 1917. On 8 June 1918 he transferred to 7 Light Horse Regiment as a signaller. Less than a month after joining the unit he was hospitalised in Egypt with a number of complaints and saw no further active service during the First World War.

In December 1918 he travelled to the Dardanelles with other members of his regiment, to re-occupy the area around Anzac. After six weeks there the regiment returned to Egypt. Pilley returned to Australia on 28 June 1919. Although he was not in Palestine, or serving with the light horse when Beersheba was taken, in October 1917, he is thought to have obtained this officer's watch, together with the story of its original acquisition from another member of 7 Light Horse Regiment.