Victory Medal
V for Victory!
If you have an interest in military medals the chances are you've come across the Victory Medal from World War 1 quite frequently. It is one of the most commonly awarded medals of the war, awarded as it was by no less than 15 countries with subtle variations of design for each nation (the medal pictured below is the Belgian variant, also known as the Inter-Allied Victory medal).
It was awarded in Britain alongside either the British Star (14 or 14-15 variants) or the British War Medal. It was not awarded singly. Qualification criteria dictated that it was only awarded to members of armed forces who served in an active theatre of war and thus Home Service was not considered. The reverse of the British medal bore the solemn words THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILISATION 1914-1919.
The medal was formally recommended by a committee set up in Paris in March in 1919 hence the slightly confusing dateage which stipulated guidelines for the design of the medal but allowed for cultural and national differences. The intention was to avoid the need to award campaign medals from nation to nation for all combatants who contributed to victory.
All medals featured a winged figure of victory taken from Greek mythology. The British representation is an elegant design for a British medal which can sometimes be rather prosaic to the author's eyes. British versions are prized for the reason that the recipient's name, rank and service number are stamped along the edge which can be researched as I have done for the medal pictured. The recipient of this medal was taken ill with 'Trench Fever' and invalided out of the army before the war's end. In such ways we reach across history and tell the stories who fought in the Great War and give thanks once again for their stocicism and sacrifice.