Turkish Crimea Medal 1855, French issue, awarded to Private Robert Owen Glendwr, 8th (The King's Royal Irish) Light Dragoons (Hussars), 1855

Silver, circular campaign medal designed by James Robertson (1813-1888), with on the obverse, the Ottoman Sultan's monogram and the Muslim calendar year of 1271. On the reverse, a trophy of arms with colours, a cannon, anchor and a mortar, the flags of the allies, and a campaign honour, 'Crimea 1855', in the exergue ('La Crimee 1855', for this French issue). The medal is suspended on a crimson ribbon with green edges.

Robert Owen Glendwr was born 1833 (c) and enlisted into the 8th (The King's Royal Irish) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars) in 1851. He embarked for the Crimea in the Horse Transport ship 'Shooting Star' on 25 April 1854. Severely wounded during the Charge of the Light Brigade by two sabre cuts to his right arm, he also had two horses shot under him and was briefly taken prisoner before making his escape. He was invalided home on 22 December 1854.

It had been the intention of the Turkish Sultan to award all Allied veterans of the Crimean War 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.