War Medals won by Warwickshire Men in WWI

Orders, decorations and medals can be regarded as a window on our country’s proud history and heritage, and nowhere is this more obvious than the medals and awards for various campaigns and acts of valour given to the brave men and women who fought – and died – for their country in the First and Second World Wars.

After World War One, three medals were awarded to most of the British servicemen who had served from 1914 or 1915. They were either the 1914 Star (Mons Star) or the 1914-15 Star, and then the British War Medal, and the British Victory Medal. They were irreverently, but also affectionately, referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred respectively. These are categorised as Campaign Medals.

Pip, Squeak and Wilfred was in fact a British strip cartoon strip cartoon published in the Daily Mirror  from 1919 to 1956 (with a break c1940-50). It was also in the Sunday Pictorial in the early years.  Conceived by Bertram Lamb, it concerned the adventures of an orphaned family of animals.  Pip, who assumed the “father” role, was a dog, while the “mother”, Squeak, was a penguin and Wilfred was the “young son” and was a rabbit with very long ears.

Rather than give a lengthy description of each medal here, readers are advised to investigate the numerous good websites online about these and many other medals. It is a fascinating subject – and many people collect medals too.

The men and women of North Warwickshire who fought in these wars were no exception as many received awards.  What follows is a list of those men showing their rank, full name, regiment and their award. Those who received only Pip, Squeak and Wifred have not been included in this list.

Needs Excel sheet and photos.