Medals Related to War

The medal's obverse bears nurse bent over hospital bed with soldier, table with plant and window in background. In exergue, Au service de la Souffrance; signed in bottom right cotner, G. DEVREESE.

The reverse bears enameled red cross shield over laurel branches.  Around top, CROIX ROUGE DE BELGIQUE; across, EN SOUVENIR / DES SERVICES RENDUS / AU COURS DE LA GUERRE / 1914 - 1919

The medal measures 63.6mm x 69mm and was struck in bronze by the Jules Fonson mint. No mintage is reported.

The obverse bears angel of peace (or victory) in center, U.S. infantrymen to left, navy gunner to right. Signed at lower right, S.

The reverse bears heraldic symbols of the victorios Entente nations above Gridiron Club symbol. Below, THIRTY - FOURTH / ANNUAL PEACE DINNER / THE GRIDIRON CLUB / WASHINGTON D.C. / DEC. 13. 1919.

The Gridiron Club, founded in 1885, is the oldest journalistic organization in Washington, D.C. The club is best known for its annual dinner which traditionally features the United States Marine Band, along with satirical musical skits by the members and remarks by the President of the United States and representatives of each political party. The skits and speeches by various politicians are expected to be self-deprecating or otherwise sharply comedic. Since its inception, every President except Grover Cleveland has spoken at the dinner.

The thirtyfourth annual dinner held on December 13, 1919 was called the "Peace Dinner" to celebrate the end of World War I and the beginning of a long lasting peace after "the war to end all wars" had come to an end. Woodrow Wilson used his speech to thank the nation for its efforts and to chart out the future of international relations.

The medal measures 70mm in diameter and was struck by the U.S. Mint.

This medal's obverse bears worker about to strike snake on anvil with sledge hammer; mobile 8-inch army rifle on reinforced railroad car chassis in the background. Around, PRESENTED BY THE AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY; below, 1917-1918.

The reverse bears Columbia walking l. with palm frond; Statue of Liberty and sun in distance. On left, FOR SERVICE FAITHFULLY RENDERED; lower right, CB - JK.

The medal was presented to the company's employees for their faithful service during World War I. Accompanying the medal was a card containing the following message from William H. Woodlin, the President of the American Car and Foundry Company:

"The enclosed honor medal is awarded as an evidence of the appreciation by this Company of the work by you on its munition contracts, and as a lasting testimonial of the service rendered by you as an industrial soldier in the winning of the great war."

The signature CB - JK inidicates that the medal was a collaboration between Beach and Kilenyi (maybe design and sculpture) but I did not manage to find any evidence supporting the nature of their collaboration. Harry Waterson believes that Beach designed the medal and Kilenyi executed the bas-reliefs. His evidence is that there are design drawings and, according to him, "Beach could draw, Kilenyi couldn't."

This medal measures 63.5mm in diameter and was struck in bronze, silver, and 14k gold by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, RI. The silver variant is quite rare and the gold exceedingly rare but no mintages are reported.

According to a book about the company, a combined total of 7,500 pieces in all metals is believed to have been struck.

References:   Marqusee 52

The medal's obverse bears a soldier facing half-left, saluting and standing at attention, his fieldkit and helmet at his feet to his right. Across, AMERICAN / EXPEDITIONARY / FORCES / FRANCE / 1919; signed at lower left, AITKEN / FECIT

The reverse bears upper half of stern-looking Statue of Liberty and stylized ocean waves.

The circular medal measures 50.1mm in diameter and was struck in bronze. No mintage is reported.

References:   ANS 40, Baxter 321, MACo 1919-010, Marqusee 49

The obverse bears portrait of Edward, Prince of Wales, in uniform, facing right. Around, EDWARD PRINCE OF WALES; at bottom right, heraldic badge over circled (JF monogram).

The reverse displays allegorical female figure flanked by two vertical oak branches. To left of figure, COMMEMORATING / THE VISIT OF / HRH THE PRINCE / OF WALES / TO THE / UNITED STATES / NOVEMBER / MCMXIX / A N S (with oak leaves).

This was the 41st medal overall and the fourth medal issued by the American Numismatic Society (ANS) in 1919, a very productive year for the Society as far as medals were concerned. J. Sanford Saltus, the great benefactor of American Medallic Art, provided not only funds covering the costs of design and die creation, but also enough money to strike one copy in gold. That copy was presented to the Prince of Wales during a ceremony on board the battleship Renown. In addition to ANS members, the privilege of subscribing to the medal was extended to the Pilgrims of the United States.

The medal measures 63.3mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported mintage is 1 piece in gold, 145 in silver, 227 in bronze, and 1 in brass (made for the British Museum).

References:   ANS 41, Baxter 160, MACo 1919-009, Marqusee 156

The medal's obverse bears conjoined busts of Marie Depage and Edith Clavell, facing left, with laurel branch behind them. Around, MARIE DEPAGE - EDITH CAVELL; signed on truncation, A BONNETAIN / 1919

The reverse bears legend only, 1915 / REMEMBER

Marie Depage and Edith Cavell were heroines of World War I on the Allied side. Marie Depage was the wife of the prominent doctor Antoine Depage, who was a surgeon to the Belgian King.  In 1907 she founded a laicised non-denominational medical institute in 1907, the Berkendael Medical Institute (also known as L'École Belge d’Infirmières Diplômées), in Uccle near Brussels, with British Edith Cavell as head nurse.

Depage travelled to the US in January 1915 to raise funds for the L'Océan hospital. After raising $100,000 in a few weeks, she received news that her middle son Lucien would be joining her eldest son Pierre at the front, and decided to return to Belgium. She booked passage on the RMS Lusitania, leaving New York on 1 May 1915 for Liverpool via Queenstown in the south of Ireland. The ship was torpedoed by German submarine U-20 at about 2:10 pm on 7 May 1915, and rapidly sank. Depage assisted other passengers to board lifeboats, and treated some injured on the deck of the sinking vessel. As the ship sank, she became entangled in ropes and drowned, one of nearly 1,200 killed from almost 2,000 aboard.

Edith Cavell continued to work at the Berkendael Medical Institute, where she helped hundreds of allied soldiers escape.  Her humanitarian actions, which she freely confessed after her arrest, rendered the normal protections accorded to medical personnel void. She was court-martialed, sentenced to death for treason and, despite international pleas for mercy, executed by firing squad.

Both women were celebrated as martyrs and heroines and monuments as well as medals commemorate their lives and deaths.

The circular medal measures 58mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by Jules Fonson and Company. No mintage is reported.

The uniface medal bears a winged female figure, facing, standing on a disk or globe, holding a sword and a sheaf of wheat, symbolizing the harvest of souls and the separation of the righteous from the the wicked; wreath extending from disk to both sides. Around bottom, VIXIT · VICIT · VIVET

The medal was commissioned by the city of Detroit to honor the fallen veterans of World War I. Manship created several designs, this being the first. The design that was finally chosen can be seen here.

The Latin motto translates roughly to "[They] lived, [they] conquered, [they] shall live."

The circular medal measures 67.5mm in diameter and was cast in bronze.

The obverse bears a winged female figure representing Victory striding forward to the left, holding a sword wrapped in a palm leaf; a radiant sun in the background. Around: VIXIT - VIVIT - VIVET (Lived, Conquered, Shall Live).

The reverse bears a scroll with fasces behind at center, inscribed: IN MEMORY/ OF ONE WHO/ DIED IN THE/ CAUSE OF/ FREEDOM AND/ HUMANITY. Above, an eagle holding a laurel wreath perches atop the end of a cannon and ball. Around: PRESENTED BY THE CITY OF DETROIT - 1919.

The Society of Arts and Crafts, Detroit, issued memorial medals in 1919 that were given by the City of Detroit to the families of men who lost their lives in the Great War.

An earlier version of this medal, with a less evolved obverse design, is in the Smithsonian Art Museum Collection.

The circular medal measures 70mm in diameter. The Medallic Art Company of New York struck 900 pieces in bronze.

References:   MACo 1919-011

The medal's obverse depicts standing Liberty with flag and shield bearing American Eagle.  Around, THAT THE WORLD MIGHT BE SAFE FOR DEMOCRACY

The medal's reverse bears sword and laurels with superimposed cartouche.  Around, ∙ SONS ∙ OF ∙ MOUNT ∙ KISCO ∙ NEW ∙ YORK ∙ / 1917 - 1919; across top of cartouche, WORLD WAR; at bottom left, GORHAM CO.

I have not been able to identify this medal's artist or story and would appreciate any information regarding it.

The medal measures 50.7mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Gorham Company of Rhode Island. No mintage is reported.