Victory Medal (United Kingdom)

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Victory Medal 1914–19
Victory-Obverse.jpg Victory-Reverse.jpg
Obverse and reverse of the medal
Type Campaign medal
Awarded forCampaign service.
DescriptionBronze disk, 36mm diameter.
Presented by United Kingdom / British Empire
EligibilityBritish and Imperial forces.
Campaign(s)First World War 1914–1920
Clasps None
Established1 September 1919
TotalCirca 5,725,000 [1]
Ribbon - Victory Medal.png
Ribbon bar
Ribbon - Victory Medal MID.png
Ribbon bar with mention in despatches emblem
Precedence
Equivalent Victory Medal (South Africa)
Related
Victory Medal awarded to Late Kripamay Bose, of Beliatore, West Bengal, India Victory Medal awarded to LATE KRIPAMAY BOSE (INDIA).jpg
Victory Medal awarded to Late Kripamay Bose, of Beliatore, West Bengal, India

The Victory Medal (also called the Inter-Allied Victory Medal) is a United Kingdom and British Empire First World War campaign medal.

Contents

The award of a common allied campaign medal was recommended by an inter-allied committee in March 1919. [2] Each allied nation would design a 'Victory Medal' for award to their own nationals, all issues having certain common features, including a winged figure of victory on the obverse and the same ribbon. [1] Fourteen countries finally awarded the medal.

Eligibility

The Victory Medal (United Kingdom) was issued to all those who received the 1914 Star or the 1914–15 Star, and to most of those who were awarded the British War Medal. It was not awarded singly. [3]

To qualify, recipients need to have served in the armed forces of the United Kingdom or the British Empire, or with certain recognised voluntary organisations, and have entered any theatre of war between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918. While home service did not count, United Kingdom based members of the RAF who were actively engaged in the air against the enemy did qualify, as did those who flew new planes to France. [1] Women qualified for this and other First World War campaign medals while serving in nursing and auxiliary forces in a theatre of war. [4]

It was also awarded for mine clearance in the North Sea between 11 November 1918 and 30 November 1919 and for participation in the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War up to 1 July 1920. [5]

Description

Winged Victory statue, Victoria Memorial, London Winged Victory, Victoria Memorial, London.jpg
Winged Victory statue, Victoria Memorial, London
Obverse of the medal, with ribbon. Medal, campaign (AM 800720-1).jpg
Obverse of the medal, with ribbon.

Nicknames

The three First World War medals, either one of the 1914 Star or the 1914–15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, were collectively irreverently referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred , after three comic strip characters, a dog, a penguin and a rabbit, which were popular in the immediate post-war era. Pip represented either of the two Stars, Squeak represented the British War Medal and Wilfred represented the Victory Medal. [10]

When only the British War Medal and Victory Medal were worn together, they were referred to as Mutt and Jeff , after contemporary newspaper comic strip characters. [11]

Order of wear

The order of wear of medals awarded for service during the First World War is as follows: [12]

International award

In March 1919 a committee in Paris comprising representatives from the various allied powers recommended the award of an inter-allied campaign medal of common design, [2] thereby avoiding the need for allied nations to exchange campaign medals. [4] Each allied country designed its own version, following certain common criteria. The medal was to be in bronze with a 36 mm diameter, having a winged figure of victory on the obverse, a common inscription on the reverse and suspension by a double rainbow design ribbon. [2] Japan and Siam replaced the figure of victory, since a winged victory symbol was not culturally relevant. [13]

The following versions were finally awarded:

Inter-Allied Victory Medal by Country
CountryDesignerManufacturerNumber issuedObverseReverseEstablished by
Belgium Paul Du Bois (1859–1938)-----300,000–350,000 Medaille de la Victoire version belge - envers.jpg Medaille de la Victoire version belge - revers.jpg Royal Decree from 15 July 1919
Brazil Jorge Soubre  [ fr ] (1890–1934)approximately 2,500 BRA Victory medal (avers).jpg BRA Victory medal (revers).jpg Decree nr. 16074 from 22 June 1923
Cuba Charles Charles
  • Etablissements Chobillon
6,000–7,000 W.W.I. Allied Victory Medal Cuba (avers).jpg W.W.I. Allied Victory Medal Cuba (revers).jpg Decree nr. 905 from 10 June 1922
Czechoslovakia Otakar Španiel (1881–1955)
  • Kremnice Mint
approximately 89,500 W.W.I. Allied Victory Medal Czechoslovakia (avers).jpg W.W.I. Allied Victory Medal Czechoslovakia (revers).jpg Decree from 27 July 1920
France Pierre-Alexandre Morlon  [ fr ] (1878–1951)approximately 2,000,000 Interalliee 14-18-recto.jpg Medaille victoire interalliee FRANCE 14-18 verso.jpg Law from 20 July 1922
Charles Charles [Note 1]
  • Etablissements Chobillon
-----

M. Pautot and Louis Octave Mattei [Note 1]

----------
United Kingdom [Note 2] William McMillan (1887–1977)6,334,522 plus Victory-Obverse.jpg Victory-Reverse.jpg Decree from 1 September 1919
Greece Henry-Eugène Nocq (1868–1944)
  • V. Canale
approximately 200,000 Diasymahiko mettalio nikis.jpg Diasymmahiko mettalio nikis.jpg Law from 22 September 1920
Italy Gaetano Orsolini (1884–1954)
  • Sacchini-Milano
  • S.Johnson-Milano
  • F.M.Lorioli & Castelli-Milano
approximately 2,000,000 Medaglia interalleata italiana - recto.jpg Medaglia interalleata italiana - verso.jpg Royal Decree nr. 1918 from 16 December 1920
Japan [Note 3] Shokichi Hata approximately 700,000 Victory Medal (Japan).jpg Victory medal Japan (revers) crop.jpg Imperial Edict nr 406 from 17 September 1920
Poland [Note 4] .... Vlaitov
  • Mint Kremnica
----- POL Alied Victory Medal a.gif POL Alied Victory Medal r1.gif
Portugal João Da Silva (1880–1960)
  • Da Costa
approximately 100,000 Interallieeab.gif Interallieea.gif Decree from 15 July 1919
Romania Constantin Kristescu (1871–1928)approximately 300,000 Victory Medal by Constantin Kristescu - obverse.jpg Victory Medal by Constantin Kristescu - reverse.jpg Royal Decree nr 3390 from 20 July 1921
Siam (Thailand) Itthithepsan Kritakara  [ th ] (1890–1935)-----approximately 1,500 W.W.I. Allied Victory Medals Thailand (avers).jpg W.W.I. Allied Victory Medals Thailand (revers).jpg
South Africa [Note 5] William McMillan (1887–1977)
  • Woolwich Arsenal
approximately 75,000 SA Victory reverse.jpg Decree from 1 September 1919
United States James Earle Fraser (1876–1953)
  • Arts Metal Works Inc.
  • S.G.Adams Stamp & Stationary Co.
  • Jos. Mayer Inc.
approximately 2,500,000 World War I Victory Medal (United States), Obverse.jpg World War I Victory Medal (United States), Reverse.jpg General Order nr 48 from 9 April 1919 of the Department of War
Source unless otherwise indicated: Alexander J. Laslo (1986). The Interallied Victory Medals of World War I. Albuquerque: Dorado Publishing. ISBN   0961732008.
Notes
  1. 1 2 Unofficial type.
  2. Awarded not only to British combatants but as well to those from the dominions of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and those from the Empire of India.
  3. On the obverse the winged figure of Victory was replaced by Takemikazuchi, the war god in Japanese mythology.
  4. For reasons still not known, Poland did not proceed with the manufacture of the medal at their mint. The medal shows a clearly visible “MK” (Mint Kremnica). The medal may possibly be an unofficial strike by a veterans’ group.
  5. The text on the reverse is in English and Dutch.

See also

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 "The Type I Victory Medal 1914–19". Richard Flory. Orders & Medals Research Society Journal, September 2009, page 145
  3. "The British campaign medals for the Great War". The Long, Long Trail. Archived from the original on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  4. 1 2 Dorling, H. Taprell (1956). Ribbons and Medals. London: A. H. Baldwin & Sons. pp. 90–91. OCLC   930416375.
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  6. "The Type I Victory Medal 1914–19". Richard Flory. Orders & Medals Research Society Journal, September 2009, pages 144–152.
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  8. "British First World War Service Medals". Imperial War Museum. Accessed 7 July 2018.
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  10. "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred". First World War.com. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  11. "A Guide to British Campaign Medals of WW1". The Great War 1914–1918.
  12. "No. 38663". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 July 1949. p. 3404.
  13. "Inter-allied Victory Medals" . Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  14. Katiușa Pârvan, Angela Mihalea (1998). "Câteva date privind opera medalistică a sculptorului Constantin Kristescu" [Information regarding the medals created by sculptor Constantin Kristescu](PDF). Acta Moldaviae Meridionalis (in Romanian). XV-XX-II: 294–295.

Bibliography