Page 12 - Local Heroes - Adams

Redditch Heritage Local Heroes

British Victory Medal

The Victory Medal was
authorised in 1919 and was
awarded to all eligible
personnel who served on the
establishment of a unit in an
operational theatre between
5th August 1914 and 11th
November 1918. Women
qualified for this and the
earlier two medals for service
in nursing homes and other
auxiliary forces.

The basic design and ribbon
was adopted by many
countries in accordance with
the decision of the Inter-Allied
Peace Conference at
Versailles. The dates of the
war were in every case 1914
to 1918, except that of the
British Empire, which gave the
dates as 1914 to 1919. The
medal was issued to all those who received the 1914 Star or 1914-15 Star and to most
of those who were awarded the British War Medal. It was never awarded singly. The
recipient's service number, rank, name and unit was engraved around the rim.

The above medals were sometimes irreverently referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred,
with Pip representing either the 1914 Star or 1914-15 Star, only one of which could be
awarded to a soldier; Squeak represented the British War Medal; and Wilfred
represented the Victory Medal. The names came from characters from a cartoon strip in
The Daily Mirror and Sunday Pictorial
.
The recipient's service number, rank, name and unit was impressed on the rim.

In all, 5,725,000 Victory Medals were issued

Page: 12 © DJC & JMC 2016