King George V's War Museum

A collection displayed at Windsor Castle by George V following the First World War

TURKEY

Shrapnel ball

1916

RCIN 69463

The Dardenelles campaign took place in March 1915. The British and French believed that if they took control of the Dardanelles, a highly strategic waterway which separates Europe and Asia, they would be able to take Constantinople (the Ottoman capital, now Istanbul) and stop Turkey's further participation in the war. The Allies had hoped that control of these waters would also open a supply route across the Black Sea to Russia and bring Greece, Bulgaria and Romania into the war on the side of the British and French.

This shrapnel ball  was retrieved from the deck of HMS Cornwallis after the conflict. Both battleships survived although ultimately the French and British sustained heavy losses and were forced to retreat


    Royal Collection Trust is a charity caring for the Royal Collection, one of the world’s great art collections. Income from your visit helps us to conserve and share the Collection so that it can be enjoyed by everyone, wherever they are.