Medallion No 25
1990
75th
Anniversary of
Anzac
Landings at Gallipoli
Event Commemorated
This medallion was issued to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the
landings by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Anzac Cove on
The landings at Anzac Cove on 15 April 1915 were part of a series of
Allied landings by British, French, and Allied forces on the western coast of
the Gallipoli Peninsula of Turkey. The
objective of the campaign was to capture the forts guarding the Dardanelles
(the Mediterranean entrance to the Sea of Marmara
which, in turn, led to the Bosporus and the Black Sea) with the ultimate aim of
sending convoys to Russian ports on the
After the campaign came to a stalemate, and further unsuccessful
Allied landings, the worst winter for decades forced the Allies to withdraw in
December 1915 with the last Allied soldiers leaving before dawn on 20 December. While the Allies considered the campaign a
failure, the Turks considered it an honourable draw. In
Medallion
This 51 mm diameter medallion was designed by
Terry Pepperell and struck by the Hafner Mint at
Eltham (an outer suburb of
¨ Florentine copper (200 pieces)
¨ Gilt copper (100 pieces)
¨ Sterling silver (18 pieces)
¨ 18ct gold (1 piece)
¨ Plain copper (125 pieces)
The plain copper medallions were extra pieces struck for presentation to the surviving veterans; 59 pieces were given to the veterans who made a return pilgrimage to Anzac Cove in 1990 and a number of pieces were given to other veterans.
The obverse design features the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915 and their climb up the cliffs under fire from the defending Turkish troops.
The reverse features Private John Simpson and his donkey. Private Simpson was a member of the 3rd Field Ambulance and became famous for bringing wounded men from the front lines to the beach with his donkey. Private Simpson was killed on 19 May 1915.
Last updated 20 December 2010