Turkish 5 piastres coin: Sergeant F M Mack, 1 Light Horse Regiment, AIF

Turkish 5 piastres coin, dated 1887. The coin has been circulated. The purse containing this coin has been accessioned as REL21615.

This coin is an Turkish 5 piastres coin which was originally contained in a purse taken from the body of an unknown dead Ottoman Turk soldier during a ceasefire armistice to bury the dead (probably the one occurring on 24 May 1915 after the disastrous and costly Turkish attack of 19 May), by Sergeant Frank Murgha Mack of 1st Light Horse Regiment (1 LHR), AIF. During the attack of 19 May, 1 LHR were holding and defending positions at Pope's Hill. They were relieved by 3 LHR at 2:30 that afternoon and retired to bivouac positions in Monash Valley, but were on alert to defend the 'inner line of defence' for the next few days. On the declaration of the Armistice, which lasted from 7:30 am until 4:30 pm on 24 May, 1 LHR created a 'Local Reserve to Pope's Post' to assist with the operation. The Battalion War Diary noted 'from 50 to 100 dead in front of Pope's Post' that had to be removed and buried. Seven Turkish coins were contained in this pouch and are held in the currency collection.

477 Private Frank Murga Mack, 1 Light Horse Regiment, was born in 1877 in Melbourne, Victoria. When he enlisted on 27 August 1914, he was a grazier from Narromine, NSW. Mack was made Sergeant (Provisional) on 1 September 1914 and embarked on A16 HMAT 'Star of Victoria' on 20 October 1914 from Sydney. He served at Gallipoli and was promoted to Sergeant on 22 February 1915, then 2nd Lieutenant on 11 August 1915, and was further made a Lieutenant on 28 November 1915.

After his service on Gallipoli, he remained in the Middle East serving in the Sinai and Palestine with his regiment and was promoted to Captain on 16 February 1917. A military memorandum from 8 February 1919 referring to Mack states 'is fitted for promotion - has a good eye for country and is a good officer in the field or any duty of a practical nature'. Throughout his service in the Middle East, Mack suffered from successive illnesses and was finally discharged on medical grounds on 23 June 1919.

This Turkish 5 piastres coin was minted from silver and issued in 1887 during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1876 - 1909). Five piastres were worth one beslik. Of the nine coins contained in the purse, four are Egyptian and the remainder are Turkish.