1914-1915 Star

Product Description: This Miniature 1914-1915 Star medal is made from lead-free pewter that is bronzed. It is supplied with approximately 9cm of ribbon. The medal is mounted on a fold-over information card that has an image of a British tank on the front and has historical information about the medal and trench warfare in World War I on the reverse.

Information: This medal was awarded to those who saw service in any theatre of war between 5th August 1914 and 31st December 1915, other than those who had already qualified for the 1914 Star.

After the first Battle of the Marne (5th – 12th September, 1914) thousands of miles of parallel trenches were dug along the western front. Trench warfare was necessary because the power, speed and accuracy of the weapons on both sides would have made it impossible to fight a battle in the open. Various new weapons were introduced including hand grenades, poison gas, trench mortars and artillery barrages. The Germans used poison gas for the first time in 1915, at the first Battle of Ypres.

The cover image shows a British tank crossing a trench. Tanks were first employed in significant numbers at the Battle of the Somme. They were prone to mechanical failure, vulnerable to artillery fire and were very slow; their top speed was about 4.5mph.