Gallipoli Commemorative Medal

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Overview

Bronze medal in black presentation box lined with purple velvet. Printed A5 note included. All enclosed within a white cardboard box with separate lid.

Historical information

Every Anzac soldier who served on the Gallipoli Peninsula, or in direct support of operations there, was entitled to be issued with the Anzac Commemorative Medallion. In total, 15,000 were minted.

Septimus Frank Maley was the 13th child of John & Elizabeth Maley and was born on 16 August 1883.

Frank worked as an engineer for the Western Australian Government Railways before enlisting on 22 October 1914. As a trooper with the 10th Light Horse, he left Egypt for Gallipoli on 16 May 1915. Frank’s service on the peninsula was interrupted by several periods in hospital due to illness. However he was at Gallipoli when the troops evacuated in January 1916. Frank transferred to the 9th Light Horse and then to the Australian Flying Corps where he served as a mechanic before being discharged in 1919. He received the 1914-15 Star, the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.
Frank married Fanny Hamersley whom he had met whilst in hospital. They lived in a war service home at Three Springs. The couple had two children. Frank was never very strong after the war and never spoke of his experiences. He died on 13 April 1940.

This medallion was presented to Morris Maley, as his uncle Septimus Frank Maley had no surviving progeny.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-72-GMOB0300

Item type

Metal Medallions

Themes

People
Social History
War and Conflict

Material

Bronze

Width

50 mm

Height or length

75 mm

Depth

5 mm

Contextual Information

With the declaration of war in 1914, there was a rush of enlistments from young men in this and other regions throughout the State. Three of John & Elizabeth Maley’s son joined the Australian Army. Amazingly, all three returned; though not unaffected by their experiences. This medallion is a reminder of their service.

Keywords

Maley, Anzac, Gallipoli

Place made

Australia

Statement of significance

The object 'Gallipoli Commemorative Medal' (GMOB0300) is a rare example and has very high aesthetic significance, given its (form, colour, texture). The item has low scientific significance, although being representative of the class NUMISMATICS/Medals-Military in good condition. The item has high historic significance for the local community and possibly for the State and has high interpretive potential. This item has very high social significance given it was associated with SEPTIMUS FRANK MALEY,

Primary significance criteria

Social or spiritual significance

Comparative significance criteria

Interpretive capacity

Object’s condition or completeness

Rare or representative

Well provenanced

Greenough Museum and Gardens

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