Posted 8 years ago
Chrisnp
(310 items)
I am hoping someone has a definitive answer for me.
I’ve been collecting WWI Victory medals for a while, and occasionally I will find one with a short drape (ribbon). Most Victory Medals I find, including mint-in-box medals, have drapes the same length as medals issued from 1918 on (Photo 3 shows a regular Victory Medal alongside the WWI Occupation of Germany Medal). Sometimes however I find Victory Medals with drapes closer to Pre-WWI medals (Photo 4 shows the short drape Victory Medal beside a Spanish American War Medal).
My first theory – the short drape went to Navy personnel. I imagine that Navy regulations might have retained the shorter drape after Army regulations had changed. As evidence, I do have one Victory Medal attributable to a Marine with a short drape. I do NOT have information on Navy regulations at the time to support this notion, so it’s only a theory.
My second theory – some older veterans acquired short drape medals or altered the drape length on their medals to match the campaign medals they acquired prior to WWI. This agrees with the fact that I have never found a short drape medal mint-in-box. However, if this is the answer, then a lot of medals were shortened professionally, because I have found several and they are all sewn neatly below the brooch (pin bar).
So anyone know? Militarist? Scott?
Thanks for the love SpiritBear, ttomtucker, vintagelamp, fortapache, elanski, blunder, officialfuel, racer4four and vetraio50
Just a guess; short drape could be a private makers version rather than a mint product, George Studley maybe?
i'm trying to see the difference, and it eludes me...
Militarist, I did think of that also. The planchet is matches the size and thickness of the ones that I know are issue, and it does not seem to be die cast. It does not seem to be a Studley. Thanks so much for your opinion, I do value it.
ho2cultcha, if you look closely at the first picture, you can see that medal on the right has a slightly shorter ribbon.
I have the answer, thanks to a new reference book, "World War I Victory Medals" by James P. Michels Jr. I just got my copy after work today and spent the evening with it - Well worth the money for anyone with an interest in the Victory Medal series, and especially the U.S. Victory medal. Anyway...
Michaels writes that instead of one of the three manufacturers the Army contracted, the Navy contracted with the Fulford Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island for their Victory Medals. Fulford failed to satisfy the Navy on some design specifications for clasps, and the Navy turned to one of the Army suppliers, Art Metal Works of New Jersey. The Navy Art Metal medals have the same length ribbon as the Army ones (30mm), but the Fulford medals (which were only issued by the Navy) were shorter (26mm).
The WWI Occupation of Germany medal created in 1941 was for service in the 3rd Army in the occupation of Germany between 1919 and 1923. A relative was in the 60th Infantry of the 5th Division, they were part of the 3rd Army for the occupation . They were not physically in Germany but were placed in Luxembourg and Belgium to guard the lines of communication between France and Germany. The 5th Division was part of the occupation of Germany until they returned home in July of 1919. Is each member of the 5th Division posthumously as the case may be entitled to that medal?