Victory Medal (Romania)


The Victory Medal is a Romanian First World War campaign medal established on 20 July 1921 by Royal Decree.
The design and ribbon was also adopted by Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Union of South Africa and the US in accordance with the decision of the Inter-Allied Peace Conference at Versailles. A particular form of the historic Greek monument of 'Victoria' was chosen by each nation, except the nations in the Far East who issued the medal but with a different design.

Eligibility

To qualify for the Victory Medal, recipients, of any rank, had to be mobilised for war service and to have taken part in a battle between 28 August 1916 and 31 March 1921, or to have served as an army medic. Thus were also included the combatants from the Hungarian–Romanian War.

Description

The design proposals of the medal were to be submitted to an international jury. For the Romanian version, the jury selected the design of Lt. Col. Constantin Kristescu, who was also put in charge with its effective sculpting. It was manufactured in Paris, where Kristescu used to work with La Maison Arthus-Bertrand. The Victory Medal issued by Romania is a 36mm diameter circular bronze medal.
The medal was displayed on official occasions and ceremonies on the left breast of the jacket. On other occasions, it was customary to display only the ribbon bar, pinned on the left buttonhole. In the hierarchy of the Romanian military and civil awards and decorations from the mid 1930s, the Victory Medal held the very low 33rd place. The customary hierarchy of the military decorations was :
  1. Order of Michael the Brave
  2. The Military Virtue
  3. The Aeronautical Virtue
  4. The Cross of Queen Marie
  5. The Sanitary Merit Cross
  6. Valour and Faith with swords
  7. The Country's Momentum
  8. Commemorative Cross of the 1916–1918 War
  9. Victory Medal

    International award

As well as Romania, a significant number of allied and associated countries involved in the conflict against the Austro-German alliance issued a Victory Medal.
The proposition of such common award was first made by French marshal Ferdinand Foch who was supreme commander of the allied force during the war. Each medal in bronze has the same diameter and ribbon but with a national design representing a winged victory except for Japan and Siam where the concept of a winged victory was not culturally relevant.
CountryDesignerManufacturerNumber issuedObverseReverseEstablished by
BelgiumPaul Du Bois -----300,000 - 350,000Royal Decree from 15 July 1919
Brazil:fr:Jorge Soubre|Jorge Soubre
approximately 2,500Decree nr. 16074 from 22 June 1923
CubaCharles Charles
  • Etablissements Chobillon
    		• 6,000 - 7,000Decree nr. 905 from 10 June 1922
    Czechoslovakia:cs:Otakar Španiel|Otakar Španiel
  • Kremnice Mint
    		• approximately 89,500Decree from 27 July 1920
    France:fr:Pierre-Alexandre Morlon|Pierre-Alexandre Morlon
  • Monnaie de Paris
    		• approximately 2,000,000Law from 20 July 1922
    FranceCharles Charles
  • Etablissements Chobillon
    		• -----Law from 20 July 1922
    France
  • M. Pautot
  • Louis Octave Mattei
    		• ----------Law from 20 July 1922
    United KingdomWilliam McMillan
  • Woolwich Arsenal
  • Wright & Son
    		• 6,334,522 plusDecree from 1 September 1919
    GreeceHenry-Eugène Nocq
  • V. Canale
    		• approximately 200,000Law from 22 September 1920
    ItalyGaetano Orsolini
  • Sacchini-Milano
  • S.Johnson-Milano
  • F.M.Lorioli & Castelli-Milano
    		• approximately 2,000,000Royal Decree nr. 1918 from 16 December 1920
    JapanShoukichi Hata
  • Osaka Mint
    		• approximately 700,000Imperial Edict nr 406 from 17 September 1920
    Poland.... Vlaitov
  • Mint Kremnica
    		• -----
    PortugalJoão Da Silva
  • Da Costa
    		• approximately 100,000Decree from 15 July 1919
    RomaniaConstantin Kristescu
  • La Maison Arthus-Bertrand?
    		• approximately 300,000Royal Decree nr 3390 from 20 July 1921
    Siam :th:หม่อมเจ้าอิทธิเทพสรรค์ กฤดากร|Itthithepsan Kritakara -----approximately 1,500
    South AfricaWilliam McMillan
  • Woolwich Arsenal
    		• approximately 75,000Decree from 1 September 1919
    United StatesJames Earle Fraser
  • Arts Metal Works Inc.
  • S.G.Adams Stamp & Stationary Co.
  • Jos. Mayer Inc.
    		• approximately 2,500,000General Order nr 48 from 9 April 1919 of the Department of War