Turkish Crimean War Medal 1855, Sardinian issue, General Sir William Montagu Scott McMurdo (1819-1894)

On 2 February 1855 McMurdo, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, was appointed Director General, Land Transport Corps in the Crimea. His record in command was mixed, largely because of the indifferent personnel with which he had to work, and the state of the Corps was criticised by his locum tenens, Colonel Edward Wetherall. Nevertheless, on his return home he was promoted Colonel and appointed aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria. He later served in India and Ireland, and retired as a general in 1881.

It had been the intention of the Turkish Sultan to award all survivors of the Crimean Army with a silver medal, which he instituted in 1855. Approximately 75,000 medals were claimed by Britain. However not all these reached their destination, owing to a shortfall in production and the loss of a consignment of some 22,000 medals when the SS 'Pomona' sank near Malta on 22 February 1860. The shortage in British medals was made up to a great extent by issuing British soldiers with Sardinian or French versions.

From a medal group including:, Crimea War Medal 1854-56, clasp: Sebastopol; Scinde Campaign Medal 1843; India General Service Medal 1854-95, clasp: North West Frontier; Legion of Honour, France; Order of the Mejidie, Turkey; Volunteer Officers Decoration; National Rifle Association Medal.