Turkish Flag captured at Beersheba : Private W A Prentice, 2 Light Horse Regiment, AIF

Turkish National Flag with a white crescent moon and five pointed star sewn onto a red cotton background. The background is made up of two pieces and has been sewn together approximately one third of the way down the flag. A white cotton hoist has been sewn to the left had side of the flag. The fly end of the flag is frayed.

This flag was captured by Private (later Sergeant) William Arthur Prentice on 31 October 1917 during the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Beersheba. It was removed from the flagpole of a Turkish Headquarters.

Prentice was born in Queensland in 1888 and was a shearer on enlistment in the 2nd Light Horse Regiment (2 LHR) on 1 January 1915.

Embarking on 22 May for overseas service with 5 Reinforcements, Prentice disembarked in Egypt and trained there until he was taken on strength by 2 LHR on Gallipoli on 2 October. Serving until the evacuation, Prentice arrived back in Egypt on 26 December.

Joining the ANZAC Mounted Division, 2 LHR was subsequently deployed in the defence of Egypt. Between January and May 1916 Prentice served in the protection of the Nile Valley before joining the Allied forces stationed at the Suez Canal. The defence of the latter culminated in August with the Battle of Romani where 2 LHR played a significant role in turning back the Turkish advance on the canal.

Withdrawn to rest, 2 LHR rejoined the Allied advance across the Sinai in November. Prentice was hospitalised in Cairo on 4 November due to illness and did not rejoin his unit until 25 February 1917. He was promoted to lance corporal on 23 April.

Following the Second and Third Battles of Gaza and the Battle of Beersheba Prentice continued to serve in the field with 2 LHR until 20 May 1918 when he was transferred to 1 LHR as a temporary corporal. The rank was confirmed on 24 July with a further promotion to sergeant the following day. Rejoining 2 LHR in the field on 6 August he was admitted to hospital with malaria on 14 October.

After a period of convalescence Prentice was discharged from hospital on 24 December. Rejoining his unit in the field on 12 February 1919 he embarked from Port Said on 28 March for return to the United Kingdom. Returning to Australia aboard HMAT 'Boorara' on 6 July Prentice disembarked in Victoria on 26 August. He made his own way back to Queensland where he was discharged from the AIF.

Prentice was the brother of 785 Trooper John Richard Prentice, 11 Australian Light Horse and 291 Corporal George Norman Prentice, 4 Battalion Australian Machine Gun Corps. John Prentice died of illness on 1 October 1915 at Port Said, Egypt and George Prentice died of wounds on 19 September 1918. George Prentice was awarded the Military Medal for his actions during operations at Proyart on 8 August 1918. The citation for his medal reads in part "...excellent conduct in getting his gun into action under heavy machine gun & artillery fire. He shot down several of the enemy at close range when they tried to rush his gun."