Defence & War Medal question

[Tony]

A silly question maybe, but I know very little indeed about WWII medals.

Is there any particular reason why King George VI is wearing his crown on the War Medal but not on the Defence Medal?

Thanks

Tony

[steelbonnet]

I checked all my references and none of them address this conundrum you have posted, maybe just maybe it was decided that the two shuold appear different when being worn, but then all the stars look the same at 6 feet.

Throughout the whole british gallantry, campaign, long service, series from waterloo on,the monarch appears crowned, uniformed or as the WW2 War Medal "coinage profile" in what appears a random fashion.

The navy LSGC medal has the same monarch in both uniform and crowned head?

[Tony]

Thanks for the reply.

I don't suppose we'll ever know why and I don't suppose many people care too much either.

Tony

[leigh kitchen]

Don't really know, but a variety of "heads" of monarchs have been used at the same time have'nt they, on coins & medals, the same monarch with various crowns, the bust showing different uniforms (army, navy etc), sometimes the coinage head as per GV & the Defence Medal.

I don't know why medals issued at the same time have the different heads - perhaps the coin section may have an idea?

[Michael Johnson]

Perhaps being the coinage head, it was a quick available die. Remember too, that the War Medal was authorized later than the Defence Medal and Stars (which is why many ribbon bars lack the War Medal ribbon). Or it may have been a carry over from the British War Medal 1914-1918, which was also a coinage head.