Flag carried at Gallipoli stolen

[Jason[98.EL]]

The first flag carried ashore by Australian troops at Gallipoli in World War I has been stolen from the NSW RSL's Sydney office.

How do you feel about the theft? What does it say about the state of security surrounding significant Australian military objects? Tell us what you think.

State RSL president Don Rowe said staff noticed the flag missing from Anzac House Castlereagh St, in Sydney's CBD, on Monday.

It was in storage with other memorabilia at the RSL's headquarters while renovations were carried out on the war memorial in Hyde Park, where it is usually on show.

Mr Rowe said the flag was taken ashore by Australian troops of the 9th battalion, 3rd brigade, at Gallipoli and carried throughout the campaign from 1915.

The flag bears the signatures of several historical figures including Albert Windsor who became King George VI.

While the flag has been valued for insurance it is the sentimental value that means the most, Mr Rowe said.

"You can't put a value on it. It's historical as well as sentimental, something that's irreplaceable," he told AAP on Thursday.

"And it's really got no value to the person who took it because no one will want to buy it. No one will want to touch it because... the word's out that it's been taken.

"It's significant to the nation not to an individual." Police have been notified and a list of people who had access to the storage area has been compiled.

Mr Rowe said the person who has the flag can return it to Anzac House or any RSL branch.

"I hope they've got a guilty conscience and return it because a lot of cases people just don't know what it is. They just think `oh, that looks good, I'll take it'," he said.

"And they don't realise what it actually means."

I THINK THIS IS BLOODY DISCUSTING