Badge: Order of the Osmanieh

Badge: Gold, seven-pointed star enamelled green with a gold ball on each point. Between each of the arms are three silver radiations. In the centre on a red enamel ground is a Turkish inscription 'ABDUL AZIZ KHAN TURKISH EMPEROR HAVING FAITH IN THE LORD' and gold crescent. Reverse: (Centre) crossed flags and drums. Suspended from a ribbon of green with red stripes near each edge by a star and crescent. Mounted on a bar with four others.

Admiral Charles James Barlow (1848-1921) entered the Navy in 1862, serving first in the ‘Scylla’, China Station from 1863 to 1867, and then in the Pacific. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1872 and joined the ‘Immortalite’, Detached Squadron, from 1874 to 1877, followed by service in the ‘Flamingo’ in the East Indies, 1877 to 1880. In July 1881. He was appointed first lieutenant in the ironclad battleship ‘Inflexible’ - then commanded by Captain John Fisher. In this vessel he was present at the bombardment of Alexandria on 11 July 1882. Shortly afterwards he commanded a landing party which held one of the gates of the city until replaced by troops. He was again deployed on shore near Port Said until the end of hostilities. Promoted to commander in 1884, he was appointed to the ‘Bacchante’, flagship of the East Indies Station from 1885 to 1888. He was part of a naval brigade during the 1885-1886 Burma War, leading a detachment of seaman on a 120-mile march across country for which he was mentioned in dispatches. He was awarded The DSO and the India Medal with Burma clasp. After his promotion to captain in 1889, he commanded the ‘Orlando’ on the Australian Station and then the ‘Empress of India’ and the ‘Jupiter’, both in the Channel, until 1899. He became Admiral Superintendent of Pembroke Dockyard from 1899 to 1902, reaching flag rank on promotion to rear admiral on 1 September 1902. He continued as Admiral Superintendent of Devonport, from 1906 to 1908. He retired in 1911 with the rank of Admiral. During the First World War he accepted a temporary commission at a lower rank in the RNR and commanded ‘Valiant’ in the Auxiliary Patrol. Later in 1914 he was promoted to Captain RNR.
Barlow had married Elizabeth Hume Dight in 1892 while stationed in Australia. Their son, Arthur Horace Charles Barlow (1894-1916), was killed in HMS ‘Black Prince’ at the Battle of Jutland.