The ‘Dead Man’s Penny’
What was a serving man’s life worth? The ironic nickname given to the World War One Memorial Plaque indicates that some of the bereaved families thought their loved ones had died for not very much.
Memorial plaques were issued to the next of kin of all British Empire serving personnel who died in WW1. Cast in bronze, they did look similar to the penny piece, although much bigger. Another nickname given to them was the widow’s penny.
In 1917 a competition was held for the creation of the design and it attracted over 800 entries. The winner was Edward Carter Preston, a professional painter, sculptor and medallist, who won £250.
Symbols of war and peace
The design shows Britannia holding an olive wreath over the space for the dead man’s name. A growling lion stands at her feet, while a smaller lion can be seen at the lower edge, biting the German eagle. Empire sea power is represented by two dolphins. A sprig of oak suggests sturdy Britishness.
The man’s name was added without his rank. As with WW1 gravestones, all were seen as equal in death.
In total, 1,335,000 plaques were issued and were continued to be given until the 1930s, to the families of men who had died as a result of injuries or medical conditions suffered during the war. The plaque was accompanied by a letter from the King and a scroll personalised with the dead man’s name, rank and regiment. Men who had been executed after trial by court martial did not receive the plaque and scroll.
Does Loughborough Carillon hold a Memorial Plaque for someone in your family?
At Loughborough Carillon we have in the collection in our care a number of Memorial Plaques. We’d be very interested to know more about the men they commemorate, so please get in touch using this link to find Connect With Us at the bottom of the Home page if you have any more information about them or their descendants.
Some of the men are commemorated on our Roll of Honour, where you can discover more about their lives. They are:
Private 241708 Charles Sydney Bennett
Private 9190 John James Collington
10938 Sgt Ernest Davison Cross of St George (Russia)
Private 241318 Albert Leonard French
L/Cpl 27967 John Albert Hitherley
Pte 15163 Ernest Arthur Leavesley
Private 15905 John William Mason
Cpl 11784 Albert Edgley Stockwell
Private 203178 John Henry Tyler
Rifleman C/361 David Noel Wain
Signaller 43770 John Arthur Wain
Private 16488 Walter Bernard Waring
Private 14057 Frederick Whitcroft
Sgt 14030 Bernard Herbert Unwin
In addition, we hold memorial plaques for the following men:
Gunner 12684 Frank Bale Royal Garrison Artillery. Born Loughborough. Enlisted Loughborough. Lived 10 The Rookery, Quorn. Died 11th August 1917.
2nd Lieutenant Frederick Whiteley Beard Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment. Born 1892. Son of Durant and Agnes Beard, lived Nottingham. Died 10th October1916.
Private 110737 Percy Charles Burdett Machine Gun Corps. Born Romford 1892, died 21st October 1918.
Cpl 648 Frederick Burton Leicestershire Yeomanry Lived in Belton. Died 13 May 1915.
Trp 3339 Victor Coleman Leicestershire Yeomanry, later Machine Gun Corps. Born Hoby 1893. Died 4th April 1918.
16336 A/Sgt Frank Commons Royal West Kent Regiment. Born 1895, lived Mansfield Woodhouse, died 9th August 1917.
61623 Pte Robert Routledge Cooper 15/17th West Yorkshire Regiment. Born Woodville. Enlisted Derby. Died 12th April 1918.
Sgt 970 Walter Gartshore 6th Leicestershire Regiment. Born Quorn, lived 88 Barrow Road. Enlisted Mountsorrel. Died 1st September 1916.
Pte 21378 Harry Harris 11th Leicestershire Regiment. Born Belgrave Leicester. Enlisted Leicester. Lived 88 Marfitt Street, Leicester. Died 11th April 1917.
Lance Sergeant 7912 Albert Hickman 2nd Btn Leicestershire Regiment. Born Northampton 1889, died 31st January 1915.
Private 3209 William John Hickman 1/4th Btn Leicestershire Regiment. Born c1892 Leicester, died 13th October 1915.
Pte 2108 Joseph Hopkins Leicestershire Yeomanry. Born Leicester. Enlisted Leicester. Died 10th October 1916.
Pte 201195 Charles Henry Newton 1/5th Sherwood Foresters. Enlisted Derby. Lived 39 Bonsall Street, Long Eaton. Died 12th December 1917.
243021 L/Cpl John (Jack) Nixon 1/5th Leicestershire Regt. Born 1897 Willoughby-on-the Wolds, died 24th May 1917.
Lt Colin Peake Leicestershire Yeomanry. Born 1890. Lived Ashstead, Surrey. Died 13th May 1915.
Pte 204171 Wilfred Stokes 21st (2nd Tyneside Scottish) Bn, Northumberland Fusiliers. Formerly 15190 Leicestershire Regiment. Born 1896 Nanpantan, died 24th August 1917.
Tpr 1859 Horace Williams Leicestershire Yeomanry. Born 1891 Ashby de la Zouch, died 13th May 1915, aged 24.
