British War Medal 1914-18

Awarded to Alfred William Newman RN. Obverse: Head of King George V (left). Legend: 'GEORGIVS V BRITT : OMN:REX ET IND : IMP:' Reverse: A Knight on horseback (right) a short sword in his right hand, trampling on the German shield, skull and cross-bones. Legend: '1914-18'. Inscription on edge: 'MTE. A.W. NEWMAN, R.N.' Fitted with a bar and orange watered silk ribbon edged with blue, black and white stripes. Mounted on a bar with three others.

Newman entered the Marine Society Training Ship ‘Warspite’ and was drafted into the Royal Navy in August 1903. He specialised in gunnery and torpedo work. During WWI he served on HMS ‘Laurel’ at the battle of Heligoland. He was promoted to Acting Gunner in 1915 and appointed Mate of HMS ‘Tetrarch’ in June 1917. He was awarded the Albert Medal for extracting the cartridges from a smoking box of cordite in the magazine. They were passed on deck and thrown overboard. Commander Newman was presented with the Albert Medal by King George V at Harwich in 1918. In April 1919 he was Mentioned in Dispatches for services in late 1918 and in December that year was promoted to Lieutenant. In 1939, Newman now a Lieutenant-Commander was recalled because of his unique knowledge of boom defence work. Promoted to Commander he was in West Africa from 1941-43 in charge of defending harbours in Gambia and from 1943-45 he was in charge of harbour defence based at Aden, covering the area from Suez to Bangkok. After further service in the Mediterranean Commander Newman retired in 1948. He died in1984.

Object Details

ID: MED2036
Collection: Coins and medals
Type: War medal
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Mackennal, Edgar Bertram; McMillan, William
Events: World War I, 1914-1918
Date made: 1919
People: Newman, Alfred William
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Overall: 36 mm
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