Turkish War Medal (1915)

Five pointed star with ball finials and raised edges in nickel plated brass. The centre is enamelled red and bears a superimposed nickel plated brass crescent enclosing the toughra of the Sultan Mehmet V and the Islamic date 1333 (AD 1915). The reverse has a horizontal pin fastening and is impressed beneath the pin 'BB & Co'.

The Turkish War Medal was instituted as a gallantry award in 1915 by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet V. It was awarded throughout the First World War. The original medals were made of white metal, had a crudely painted red centre and were generally of poor quality . A number of private manufacturers also produced versions of better quality, like the one here, and they are considered to be the type worn by officers. The British and Australians mistakenly referred to the medal as the Gallipoli Star, while the Germans called it the Iron Crescent, a reference to the fact that the medal was roughly equivalent to their Iron Cross.