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Naval General Service Medal, 1915: CM.1487-2009

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Mint: London
Ruler: George V (1910-36)
Artist: Winser
Ruler: Georgivs V Britt: omn: rex et Ind: imp: (With the title of)

Entities

Categories

Description

By 1915 it had become clear that the Great War would be a long time in the fighting, and that a number of small operations would arise that, although worthy of recognition by medals, would not merit a separate award. A new Naval General Service Medal was therefore instituted. In the event, services in the Great War's campaigns at sea were recognised by other medals, general such as the British War Medal or more specific like the Mercantile Marine War Medal, but some unrelated operations were recognised by awards of the new NGSM.
One of these in fact predated the medal's institution, that being service aboard any of 11 Royal Navy vessels that had been involved in patrols against pirates and gun-runners in the Persian Gulf, Straits of Hormuz or the Sea of Oman between 1909 and 1914.
This medal was awarded to Able Bodied Seaman P. Redmond, who served aboard the 3rd-class cruiser HMS Proserpine; she was not one of the 11 vessels named in the Order that instituted the bar, so Redmond may have served aboard another vessel briefly. This is one of two medals that were awarded to him that are now in the Watson Collection; the other precedes this. The medals are not attached to each other so although the Watson Collection catalogue considers them as Group 4 they have been treated separately here. Nonetheless, it was as a group that Lester Watson purchased them from the London dealer Spink, in 1926.

Notes

History note: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt Spink 1926

Legal notes

Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 36.4 mm
Weight: 37.77 g

Place(s) associated

  • London

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (2009) by Watson, Lester

Dating

1915 - 1916

Materials used in production

Silver

Techniques used in production

Struck

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: Bust of George facing left

  • Text: GEORGIVS V BRITT: OMN: REX ET IND: IMP:
  • Location: Obverse
  • Type: Design

Inscription present: Britannia riding two seahorses through waves carrying trident and Union shield

  • Location: Reverse
  • Type: Design

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: CM.1487-2009
Primary reference Number: 141583
Watson Catalogue: 301
Ordering: M-0372
Previous object number: LW.0362b
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Saturday 22 January 2022 Last processed: Tuesday 13 June 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Coins and Medals

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Naval General Service Medal, 1915" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/141583 Accessed: 2024-11-25 06:18:46

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/141583 |title=Naval General Service Medal, 1915 |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-25 06:18:46|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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