Medal Collection: WW1 and WW2 Medals
British Military Medals
Medals are awarded to service personnel to recognise participation in wars and operations, for acts of bravery, for long service and good behaviour and to mark special occasions, such as the coronation of the King. They are an outward display of the person’s service and achievements.
Christian
These are the medals of Captain Christian and include the Military Cross for bravery, WW1 medals and a Russian ‘Order of St George’ Cross.
Stokes
The medals of Pte Stokes awarded after he fought in the Boer War (South Africa 1898 – 1902). In this case he has a number of clasps or bars showing the battles he had fought in. Queen Victoria died in 1901 so a second medal, the King’s South Africa Medal was also issued.
Underwood
The medals of Pte Thomas Underwood, Leicestershire Regiment. In WW1 he served in France and Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) and it was there he won the Military Medal (the red, white and blue ribbon) for bravery.
Graham
Pte Graham of the Royal Anglian Regiment served with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus maintaining the peace between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. His second medal is the General Service Medal (GSM) awarded for service in Northern Ireland during ‘The Troubles’.
Smith
Another man who was awarded the Military Medal for bravery was Pte Wilfred Smith of first the Leicestershire Regiment and then the Machine Gun Corps when it was formed in 1915 to meet the challenges of trench warfare.
Parker
Gordon Parker joined the Royal Navy aged 16 in 1937 and served until 1953. During WW2 (1939 – 1945) he was serving on HMS Glengyle, an infantry landing ship which took part in the evacuation of Crete, the raid on Dieppe and the landings in Italy.
