British War Medal 1914-18

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: 'SURG. LT. CR. F.L. SMITH. R.N.' Mounted court style with four others. Fitted with a bar and orange watered silk ribbon edged with blue, black and white stripes.

Surgeon Rear-Admiral RN Frank Lewis Smith (1881-1942) was the son of a Whitby innkeeper and farmer - Ralph Smith. Frank received his medical training at St Thomas's Hospital. During World War I, he served in the dockyard and hospital at Pembroke up to 1916 and afterwards was medical officer of the cruiser 'Caroline' attached to the Grand Fleet. He was Surgeon-Commander in the aircraft carriers 'Hermes' and 'Furious'. From 1926 to 1932, he acted as assistant to the medical Director-General at the Admiralty. In 1931 he was promoted to the rank of Captain and during the 1930s he was head of the Royal Marine Infirmary at Deal. He retired with the rank of Surgeon Rear-Admiral in 1938, but was re-engaged during the Second World War, working in London and on the books of administrative base HMS 'President'. Smith died following a heart attack on a London bus. He has a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone at Gillingham. In 1915 he had married Gertrude Mary Thomas of Pembroke Dock and the couple had a daughter.

Object Details

ID: MED1423
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: King George V; Smith, Frank Lewis
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Overall: 36 mm
Close

Your Request

If an item is shown as “offsite”, please allow eight days for your order to be processed. For further information, please contact Archive staff:

Email:
Tel: (during Library opening hours)

Click “Continue” below to continue processing your order with the Library team.

Continue