MEDAL, MILITARY

Description: ROUND SILVER MEDAL WITH A STRAIGHT CLASP SUSPENDER. ATTACHED TO THE SUSPENDER IS A WATERED RIBBON IN BLUE, BLACK, WHITE AND ORANGE. MEDAL DESIGN DEPICTS UNCLOTHED HORSEMAN EMBOSSED ON REVERSE. HORSE TRAMPLES ON THE PRUSSIAN SHIELD AND SKULL AND CROSS-BONES. IN THE UPPER PORTION BETWEEN HORSE'S NECK AND RIDER'S KNEE IS SUN OF VICTORY. EMBOSSED TEXT ALONG BORDER READS “1914 1918”. OBVERSE HAS EFFIGY OF KING GEORGE V FACING LEFT WITH TEXT READING "GEORGEIVS V BRITT:OMN:REX ET IND:IMP:". MEDAL EDGE ENGRAVED WITH TEXT READING “228409 PTE. T. OKUTAKE. P. P. C. L. I.” CONDITION: VERY SLIGHT DISCOLOURATION OF THE RIBBON. FRAYING ON BOTH RIBBON ENDS. SLIGHT SCUFFING TO MEDAL’S FINISH.

History: DONOR PATRICIA SASSA’S FATHER, OKINAWAN TOMOMI OKUTAKE, WAS ONE OF 222 JAPANESE CANADIANS TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE IN 1916, SERVING IN THE INFANTRY. LANDING IN CANADA VIA VANCOUVER IN 1907, OKUTAKE WORKED FOR THE CPR BEFORE MIGRATING WEST TO LETHBRIDGE TO WORK AT THE NO. 6 MINE, WHERE HE SETTLED IN HARDIEVILLE IN 1911 – CONNECTING WITH OTHER OKINAWANS ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN THE COMMUNITY. FROM THERE, HE MADE THE DECISION TO SUPPORT HIS NEW COUNTRY, CANADA, IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR. IN 1919, OKUTAKE RETURNED TO HARDIEVILLE TO CONTINUE HIS WORK IN THE MINES AFTER THE WAR – RIGHT UP UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT. OF THE JAPANESE CANADIANS WHO VOLUNTEERED FOR THE CEF, 55 WERE KILLED DURING WW1. FOR A MORE DETAILED HISTORY, PLEASE SEE P20170001001. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS, SERVICE RECORDS, COPIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS, AND LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES.