Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BRITISH WAR MEDAL, WWI

Date Range From

1914

Date Range To

1919

Materials

SILVER, RAYON

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.3

Length

15.8

Width

3.3

Description

SILVER MEDAL WITH UNCLOTHED HORSEMAN (ST. GEORGE NAKED) EMBOSSED ON OBVERSE. HORSE TRAMPLES ON THE PRUSSIAN SHIELD AND THE SKULL AND CROSS-BONES. IN THE UPPER PORTION BETWEEN HORSE'S NECK AND RIDER'S KNEE IS SUN OF VICTORY. ENGRAVED "1914 1918". REVERSE HAS UNCROWNED GEORGE V, W/ "GEORGEIVS V BRITT:OMN:REX ET IND:IMP:". EDGE ENGRAVED "736660 CPL. G. R. GALL 16-CAN. INF.". RIBBON IS MOIRE ORANGE BORDERED BY WHITE, BLACK, AND BLUE STRIPES. FRAYING AT ENDS WHERE CUT.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

ITEMS BELONGED TO DONOR'S UNCLE, GLEN R. GALL, WHO REQUESTED ITEMS BE DONATED TO GALT MUSEUM. MR. GALL PASSED AWAY IN CALIFORNIA IN JANUARY 1996. THIS MILITARY MEMORABILIA IS ASSOCIATED WITH FIRST WORLD WAR, SCOTTISH-BORN VETERAN GLEN R. GALL. IN 1916, GALL, A CALGARY RESIDENT, WANTED TO SERVE WITH ONE OF THE CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE’S (CEF) SCOTTISH INFANTRY BATTALIONS AND, CONSEQUENTLY, JOINED THE 113TH LETHBRIDGE HIGHLANDERS. UPON DISEMBARKING IN ENGLAND IN 1916, THE 113TH WAS DISBANDED AND GALL WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE CEF’S 16TH SCOTTISH REGIMENT. GALL SURVIVED THE WAR, RETURNING TO CALGARY IN 1919. HE EMIGRATED TO CALIFORNIA IN 1921, WORKING IN HOTEL MANAGEMENT AND RETIRED IN 1970, REMAINING IN CALIFORNIA UNTIL HIS DEATH. PLEASE SEE OTHER DONATIONS BY GLEN GALL AND ROBINA GUINN TO REFERENCE OTHER ARTIFACTS RELATED TO GLEN GALL’S FIRST WORLD WAR SERVICE. MEDAL AWARDED IN 1919 TO CANADIANS WHO LEFT CANADA ON WAR SERVICE DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVERY OF MILITARY OBJECTS. SHE FOUND AN ENTRY IN THE GELNBOW ARCHIVES FOR FONDS DONATED BY GLEN R. GALL, WITH A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY THAT CONTAINS INFORMATION NOT PREVIOUSLY REFERENCE IN GALT PERMANENT FILES: GLEN RAMSAY GALL WAS BORN IN 1898 IN EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, AND MOVED WITH HIS FAMILY TO CALGARY AROUND 1912. HE SERVED IN THE 50TH BATTALION CEF DURING WWI. GALL LATER SETTELD IN SAN ANSELMO, CALIFORNIA, AND PASSED AWAY IN 1996. THE FOLLOWING BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LETHBRIDGE HIGHLANDERS IS EXCERPTED FROM CHRISTOPHER R. KILFORD'S BOOK 'LETHBRIDGE AT WAR: THE MILITARY HISTORY OF LETHBRIDGE FROM 1990 TO 1996' (BATTERY BOOKS & PUBLISHING, 1996). "THE 113TH CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, THE LETHBRIDGE HIGHLANDERS, WERE ORGANIZED DECEMBER 22, 1915 [AS] PART OF A CANADIAN RECRUITING DRIVE WHERE MEN FROM THE SAME REGION COULD ENLIST AND SERVE TOGETHER. THIS TYPE OF COMMUNITY SPIRIT RECRUITING WAS VERY POPULAR AS IT DREW IN FRIENDS, NEIGHBOURS, CO-WORKERS, ETC. WITH THE PROMIS OF SERVING TOGETHER THROUGHOUT THE WAR. THE 113TH CONSISTED OF 883 MEN AND OFFICERS AND HAD ITS BARRACKS AT THE EXHIBITION GROUNDS IN LETHBRIDGE... BASIC TRAINING IN THE CEF INVOLVED RIFLE TRAINING, BOMBING OR HAND GRENADE PRACTICE, ROUTE MARCHES, RIFLE DRILL AND MANY INSPECTIONS... IN LATE MAY 1916 THE BATTALION MOVED TO SARCEE CAMP OUTSIDE CALGARY FOR FURTHER TRAINING THAT LASTED UNTIL SPETEMBER... ON SEPTEMBER 26TH 1916 THE 113TH EMBARKED ALONG WITH THE 111TH AND 145TH BATTALIONS ON THE SS TUSCANIA... UPON ARRIVING IN ENGLAND THE BATTALION WAS TAKEN TO A HOLDING CAMP AT SANDLING NEAR SHORNCLIFFE... THE COMMANDING OFFICER LEARNED THAT THE 113TH WOULD BE BROKEN UP FOR REPLACEMENTS AND WOULD NOT SEE ACTION AS A UNIT AFTER ALL... THE 113TH WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE 17TH RESERVE BATTALION CEF, THE NOVA SCOTIA HIGHLANDERS, AFFILIATED WITH THE SCOTTISH SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS... ON OCTOBER 12, 1916 MOST OF THE OLD 113TH PROCEEDED TO FRANCE... ALMOST IMMEDIATELY 300 MEN OF THE OLD 113TH WERE ASSIGNED AS REPLACEMENTS TO ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS BATTALIONS IN THE CEF, THE 16TH BATTALION CANADIAN SCOTTISH." SEE GALT ARCHIVES 19861100001-12 FOR PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY GALL DURING HIS SERVICE WITH THE LETHBRIDGE HIGHLANDERS. SEE PERMANENT FILE P199700810001 FOR HARDCOPIES OF GLENBOW ARCHIVES FONDS DESCRIPTION AND LETHBRIDGE HIGHLANDERS HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P19970081004

Acquisition Date

1998-06

Collection

Museum

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