No Hero's Medal: A Look at Imperial Celebration

 It was an interesting day when my Dad and Nan announced that they had found some "old war medals" in her attic. Interesting because as far as I knew my family did not achieve any exceptionally heroic acts, stories or high-ranking positions during either war; the only one I could remember had put on pantomimes and shows to entertain troops stuck in an airbase. An act which I prize very highly, but is unfortunately unlikely to warrant country-wide military acclaim.

Carefully wrapped in tissue paper, the medal was handed to me almost reverently, and I prepared myself for the weight of the medal on my palm. Only, it was too light. Removing the paper in front of my family's eager awaiting eyes, each one hoping for a link to some forgotten wartime glory (or perhaps an expensive relic that could be sold), I was surprised at what I saw. 

The medal was not really a medal at all. It reminded me more of a medal you might win for an egg and spoon race, rather than a war. Needless to say my family were disappointed that they had, in their words, "a fake"; but objects in history never tend to be that simple.

Based on the inscriptions ("OUR EMPIRE PRINCE 24 MAY 1928", "FOR GOD KING AND EMPIRE"), this medal was produced in commemoration of Empire Day, which was an annual event across Britain and its colonies that was officially recognised in 1916(1).  It correlated with certificates I had studied during my Empire module at university: the red, white and blue, the mantra of "for God, King and Empire" and the ostentatious use of military symbolism. (2, see below)

From the late-nineteenth century there was amplified interest in involving the youth in the Empire- as one piece from 1897 stated, 'The strength of the Empire depended on them, and they must never forget it' (3). This meant that, in the words of historian Catherine Hall, 'Empire was part of everyday life for Britons', and young people were no exception (4). "Everyday" imperial ideologies could be produced, encountered and spread by a series of popular images, stories, goods, experiences and everyday interactions. 

The medal and certificates are but one small glimpse into a much more complicated web of imperial ideologies. Not just 'things', but wider 'practices' as Catherine Hall states (5).

Back to our medal.

On researching the object further, I discovered a Parliament debate on the medal batch in question (6). There is an interest here to 'stimulate a wider interest in the Empire' that especially focuses on children, to whom the medals were intended to be 'distributed gratis'. Greater than this, however, is the disappointment with the low number of medals (37,000), the potential profits, the (for lack of a better term) patchy distribution as well as the involvement of the 'British Empire Union'. 

Whilst at this stage named the British Empire Union, previously the group had been called the Anti-German League and produced exactly the kind of aggressive propaganda as the name suggests (7). As discussed by Panikos Panayi's article on the Union, the organisation only really became interested in the idea of 'imperial unity' after 1918 but it swiftly made the consolidation of the British Empire its top objective (8). An aggressively patriotic and anti-socialist and immigration organisation, the BEU seems to provoke a wariness within Parliament talks we studied earlier- the Liberal politician Percy Harris questions 'Can a labour or propaganda organisation get medals struck at the Royal Mint?' (9). 

Here, we see a snapshot of what makes studying the British Empire and its ideology in any period so interesting. That is, what Stephen Howe calls the 'contradictory ideas about empire' that proliferated in this period (10). Whilst imagery that connected monarchical, military and imperial power were exceedingly common in this period, with everything from street advertisements to circus displays using them to exude respectability and importance, not all manufactured attempts at this were successful. Many were questioned or under-circulated as we see here. Even more people just saw Empire Day as a chance to celebrate and sing songs, but it still provided a breeding ground for imperial ideology to be transmitted, encountered and changed.

Overall, I am glad this was not a war medal.

 Rather than evidence of heroic exceptionalism or worship (which is still an interesting concept to analyse), we get a glimpse into the mass production of imperial ideologies particularly for the youth of the British Empire. Even excepting medals, the Empire Day celebration involved stories of adventure, heroism and entertainment- not to mention a half-day at school, as many of those interviewed on their experiences with the event highlight (11). It was created not just to foster an understanding of the Empire and those within it, but to encourage "active" participation in the Empire. In this medal, we see the propagation of themes of glory, sacrifice and a love of King and Country to groups of young men and women who, but a decade later, would be involved in yet another World War. 

This medal demonstrates a culture in which fierce patriotism could grow; sponsored by "anti-alien" groups; illustrated with imagery of recent shared suffering; emphasised by the key terms of the era. Certainly an interesting idea to reflect on today.

1) Ben Johnson, "Empire Day", The History Magazine (Historic UK, 2022), https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Empire-Day/ .

2) The Overseas Club, Empire Day Certificate, 1915, George Metcalf Archival Collection, Canadian War Museum, https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/objects-and-photos/archival-documents/documents-created-by-organizations/empire-day-certificate/?back=1564&anchor=1801 .

3) Johnson.

4) Catherine Hall, "Culture and Identity in Imperial Britain", The British Empire Themes and Perspectives , ed. Sarah Stockwell (London: Blackwell, 2008), pp.199-218 (p.199).

5) Ibid, p.202.

6) Multiple, EMPIRE DAY (COMMEMORATION MEDALS), HC Deb (13 June 1928), Vol. 218, cc990-1, 

https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1928/jun/13/empire-day-commemoration-medals

7) British Empire Union, "Once a German, Always a German", c.1919, poster, 76 x 50cm, Imperial War Museum. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/38226. 

8) Panikos Panayi, "The British Empire Union in the First World War", The Politics of Marginality, eds. Tony Kushner, Kenneth Lun (New York: Frank Cass, 1990), pp.113-130 (p.124).

9) Multiple, EMPIRE DAY (COMMEMORATION MEDALS), HC Deb (13 June 1928), Vol. 218, cc990-1.

10) Stephen Howe, "Empire and Ideology", The British Empire Themes and Perspectives , ed. Sarah Stockwell (London: Blackwell, 2008), pp.157-176 (p. 173).

11) Johnson.