Presented to all military in World War I. The front bears the royal effigy and caption 'GEORGIVS V: BRITT: OMN: REX ET IND: IMP:'. On the reverse side, St George is shown trampelling the eagle shield of the Central Powers, skull and crossbones, rising sun of victory. Established in 1919 by King George V, the British War Medal (of World War I) was awarded to cover operations between the 5th of August 1914 and the 11th of November 1918. The basic qualification was service in any of the three armed services, any Commonwealth or Imperial formation or in certain voluntary organizations. Roughly 6.5 million were issued in silver, with a further 110,000 in bronze (which was awarded to nationals in labor camps).
The ribbons on the various medals shown in this section of the site may be attached to the incorrect medal. This is possibly due to cleaning at various stages. For historical reasons we have chosen not to make any changes to the photos, although for anyone interested the correct ribbon colours may be found at the Hampshire Museums Service site.
Source : Hampshire Museums Service
Source : The World Phaleristic Guide
