War Medals and Their HistorySteward, William Augustus
History
War Medals and Their History
Steward, William Augustus
Great Britain. Army -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.
=Prussian Oval Iron Medal for 1815.=--This reminds us of the fact that
the exchange made by modern German women of their gold wedding rings
for those of iron is simply a repetition of a sacrifice which the women
of Germany made during the Napoleonic Wars, when they gave their gold
jewellery and replaced it by delicately made ornaments of iron, as
visitors to the Victoria and Albert Museum may see. The medals awarded
to the survivors of the wars were invariably of metal, some, like our
Victoria Cross, having been made from captured cannon. This oval medal,
however, is of iron and bears on the obverse King Frederick William's
initials in German text capitals, surmounted by the Prussian crown
and underneath ~Fur Pflichirtreue im Kreige~ (For faithful service in
war); encircling the whole is the legend ~Gott war mit uns, Ihm sey die
Ehre!~ (God was with us, to Him the honour). On the reverse is a cross
patée with rays issuant between the arms and in the centre 1815. The
medal is suspended from a white watered-silk ribbon with black and
yellow stripes close to the edges. It was awarded to non-combatants.
=Prussian Medals for 1813-15.=--These were awarded by King Frederick
William III to all those of his subjects who took part in the campaigns
of 1813-14-15. On the obverse are the initials F. W. surmounted by
a crown; below, ~Preussens tapfern Kriegern~ (To Prussia's brave
warriors), surrounded by the legend, with a border, ~Gott war mit
uns, Ihm sey die Ehre!~ (God was with us, to Him the honour). On the
reverse, within a wreath of oak and laurel, tied with a ribbon at the
base, upon a cross patée with rays, 1815--the date of the campaign.
In the medals for 1813 and 1814 the arms of the cross are rounded at
the ends and terminate at the medal rim. Indented round the edge, AUS
EROBERTEM GESCHUETZ (from the captured guns). See page 52. The ribbon
is yellow, flanked by stripes of black and white.
=The Austrian Cross for 1813-14.=--This is an interesting decoration,
for the Cross itself is enamelled green in the _basse-taille_ manner,
the edge only being left to show the metal, likewise the laurel wreath
which connects the arms of the Cross. On the obverse, across the centre
arms, is PRINCEPS ET PATRIA, on the upper arm is the word GRATI, and
on the lower arm FRANC IMP AUG. On the reverse, across the centre
arms, is LIBERTATE ASSERTA, on the upper arm EUROPAE, and on the lower
~MDCCCXIII/MDCCCXIV~. It is suspended from a yellow corded ribbon with
very broad black edges.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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