War’s Rewards

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 620, 23 March 1929, Page 18

War’s Rewards

Evolution of Medals

Kr? LTHOUGH war medals are so numerous nowaV days it is doubtful whecf ther their origin and jjy evolution are understood

by many. Josephus in his “Antiquities of the Jews,” says that Alexander, in the third century 8.C., presented Jonathan the High Priest with a “golden button” for successfully leading the Jews in his support. Here we have the germ of the war medal, writes Major T. J. Edwards, in the London “Daily Telegraph.” From the chains of Biblical times, such as those given to Joseph and Daniel, evolved the chains of knighthood, which, of course, had medals of badges pendant thereto. As the need for a more general recognition of service arose, a medal only was awarded, but even up to the middle of the 17th century such medals were granted solely to officers in command. No general distribution was made to all ranks until Charles I, conferred “badges of silver” on every man who had done “faithful service in the forlorn hope.” Another general distribution was made for the Battle of Dunbar (September 3, 1650), and the next for Waterloo (1815). In the British Museum is a medal granted to one John Kendal in 1480 for service in connection with the defence of Rhodes by the Knights Templars. This is probably the earliest medal granted to an Englishman. The next medals to commemorate war service were the

“Ark in Flood” medals granted by Queen Elizabeth for the victory over the Armada in 158 S. James I. used the same design of medal, slightly modified, for the naval victories during his reign. The "Waterloo medal was the first medal similar in all respects to be granted to all ranks. Strangely enough, Wellington, on September 17, 1815, advocated that “we should all have the same medal”; yet he had opposed the general issue of the Peninsular medai. The institution in 1847 of the Army General Service medal for the Peninsular campaign led to the institution of a similar medal for the Royal Navy, and since that date all operations of consequence have been recognised either in the form of a new medal or of a clasp added to a former medal.