Remains of cut throat razor, Gallipoli 1915 : 15 Battalion, AIF

Remains of a cut throat razor, with black Bakelite handle. The handle is made of two curved parts placed on either side of the blade. Both sides of the handle are broken, with one side half the length of the other. Text scratched into the longer side of the handle reads, '15 A I A I F'. On the interior of the longer piece is '5/8' in raised lettering. The blade is also broken, and only a small 15 mm piece still exists, where it is attached to the handle.

This badly damaged razor was found by the Australian Historical Mission to Gallipoli in early 1919. The history of the razor is unknown, however, scratched into the handle is the text '15 AI AIF', which is believed to mean '15 Australian Infantry [Battalion] Australian Imperial Force'. The '5/8' on the interior of the handle indicates the blade size (5/8inch width).

As part of the 4th Brigade, the 15th Battalion landed at Anzac late in the afternoon of 25 April 1915. From May to August the battalion was heavily involved in establishing and defending the front line of the Anzac beachhead. In August, the 4th Brigade attacked Hill 971. The hill was taken at great cost although Turkish reinforcements soon forced the Australians to withdraw. At the end of the month, a detachment from A Company reinforced the 14th Battalion's unsuccessful attack on Hill 60. The 15th Battalion served on Gallipoli until the evacuation in December.