THE GALLIPOLI MEDAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17239, 15 February 1918, Page 5

THE GALLIPOLI MEDAL

IS IT RIGHTLY NAMED? A SERIOUS ANOMALY. (Fhom Oun Own Cobbespondext.) LONDON.. December 28. A statement has been published here, which is accepted as semi-official, to the effect that a medal is to be issued by the Now Zealand and Australian Governments, with the sanction of the King, in recognition of services in Gallipoli. The commonwealth and dominion Governments, it is understood, will agree upon a design and riband, which the King will then bo asked to approve.

The Issue of the " Gallipoli Star," as it will bo called, is to bo governed, it is said, by two conditions:

1. The recipient must have participated in the Gallipoli campaign by actually landing- on the peninsula.

2. He must have embarked in Australia or New Zealand on or before December 51 1914.

This announcement has given great satisfaction to the Main Body and the earlier reinforcements. Thero is, however, a certain amount of disappointment amongst several thousands of men who bore a heavy part of the fight on Gallipoli, and in soni'o eases snent six months or more on the peninsula, but who are nevertheless diequalified by the fact that they did not leave New Zealand before the end of 1914.

I understand that not a few ijjon V.ho sailed in the early days of 1915 took part in the kndintr at Ansae on April 25, and bore their full .share of the campaign there, taking part in the hardest ik'hting- of all in August and remaining until the winter weather in November transformed the whole aspect of the fifrht. Yet they would seem not to have earned the decoration. On the other h:'nd. men who happened to leave New /'e; , .!: , .; , .'! a week or two earlier and perhaps sp'iit. only a few days on Gallipoli. are qual'fied. If this is really the intention, the decoration must bo wrongly named. Instead of being called the "Getlipoli Star," it should be called, liko tho Imperial decoration, Iho "1914 Star." Gonenil Godley, in reply to my query on tho subject,, remarks that "it will bo perhaps as much, or more, in the nature of a 1914 Star for tho Mnin Body as for those who served on Gallipoli."