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The Ottoman War Medal (Turkish: Harp Madalyası), also known as the
Gallipoli Star was a military decoration of the Ottoman Empire which
was instituted by the Sultan Mehmed Reshad V on 1 March 1915 for
gallantry in battle. This decoration was awarded for the duration of World War I to Ottoman and other Central Powers troops, primarily in Ottoman areas of engagement. The award includes a badge and a ribbon. The medal, usually made of nickel-plated brass, is a star-shaped badge. |
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Along with the badge came a ribbon with red and white stripes, which
was not to be worn with the medal itself, but was to be looped
through the second buttonhole of the tunic when the medal was not
being worn. However, these often turn up with the ribbon sewn onto
the pin on the back, and it appears that this variation on the mode
of wear was done during the war. There are also trapezoidal clasps that have been seen, designed to be worn on the ribbon, and bearing the names of various campaigns or theaters of operations during the war. These campaign clasps had no official status, but their wear seems to have been accepted at the time of the war. The picture shown here is of a clasp with Arabic text of "Palestine". Source: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/34522-turkish-ribbon-bars/ |
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Here an interesting picture from the recommended book "History of Ottoman
Order and Medals" by Mr. Edhem Eldem. The ribbon is from a German soldier, serving with the Ottoman forces. The ribbons from left to right: - Prussian Long Service Medal - Honor Cross of the World War 1914 - 1918, also known as the Hindenburg Cross - Ottoman War Medal with bar "Palestine" - Iron Cross |
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The picture at the left was
copied from
a site of Turkish Militaria.
The medal in the middle is extraordinary. Firstly, the Ottoman War Medal was not authorized to be worn on a medal bar, but rather as a breast badge, typically on the right-hand side. This unauthorized use of the medal on the bar was not entirely uncommon among veterans. Secondly, the clasp itself: not in Arabic but in western language: GAZA. No campaign clasps were authorized for the Ottoman War medal, but several unofficial ones were privately made in the post-war years. With thanks to http://www.germancolonialuniforms.co.uk/ |
| Photo © Faruk Canbaz of Turkish Militaria |