Â鶹Éç

This is my Great-Great Grandfathers medal from World War One. He died on the last day of World War One, the 11th Novemeber 1918. This medal means a lot to me as it is a memorable piece of our families history, and commemorates the life of my brave ancestor. In 1916, it was decided that some form of memorial would be presented to the families of those who died in World War One. The 121mm bronze memorial plaque was designed by Edward Carter Preston who won £250 in a public design competition. Over a million were produced to remember the brave servicemen and women who died between the 4th August 1914 and 11th November 1918. Around the edge of the medal are the historic words 'He died for freedom and honour'. With every medal came a letter from Buckingham Palace. It read "I join with my grateful people in sending you this memorial of a brave life given for others in the Great War". It was written by King George R.I. which stands for Rex Imperator, because Rex is latin for King and Imperator is latin for Emperor. This is because he was standing as Emperor of India. The soldier's name was hand-engraved, so we now know all about my superb ancestor.