WW1 Pair With Rare Bronze Victory Medal - RAF Officer

The British WW1 Victory Medal was instituted in 1919 with the first examples being issued in May of 1920.

Initially the medal was struck in two pieces with the barrel through which the suspension ring passed being separate and soldered to the top of the medal. The finish applied was a chocolate coloured bronze.

The medal was not well received for a number of reasons. Firstly, the attachment of the ribbon ring barrel was not robust enough and often broke off. Secondly the actual striking was somewhat weak in terms of detail and perhaps most importantly was the appearance of the award in its dark bronze form. Winston Churchill is reputed to have described it as a “disgraceful production”.

Within a month of issuance beginning, a new version was introduced, with the suspension ring barrel integral to the medal and with greater detail to the striking. Importantly, the colour now was a brighter more attractive golden bronze colour. A total of some 5.7 million Victory Medals were issued, of which only a few hundred were of the early dark bronze first type.

Those who had received the dark bronze first type were invited to return them and receive an example of the improved second type though clearly many opted not to bother. Only a tiny percentage of Victory Medals were of the first type.

The example offered was awarded to a Captain W Payne of the RAMC who, as shown by the annotation on his Medal Index Card, was attached to the recently formed RAF.

Accompanied by a bronze officer’s RAMC Cap badge, both Medals are in very good condition, the War Medal with signs of having been affix to a board for display.