The ~iIedal Collector"
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ORDERS AND MEDALS SOCIETY OF AMERICA
PRESIDENT Rolfe R. Holbrook, Coral GaMes, Florida
VOL.’I 4 NOVEMBER t963 NO. tl
"A GEORGE CROSS GROUP" A GEORGE CROSS GROUP BY DEL E, BABBETTI
DURING 1922, KING GEORGE V BROUGHT INTO BEING THE MEDAL OF THE ORDER
OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE FOR GALLANTRY, LATER~ THIS MEDAL WAS NAMED THE EM-
PIRE GALLANTRY MEDALI AND A RECIPIENT COULD USE~THE INITIALS "E,G.Mo"AF-
TER HIS NAME. PERSONS OF ANY COLOR~ CREED OR RANK WERE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS
DECORATION~ PROVIDED OF COURBE~ THAT HE PERFORMED AN ACT OF GALLANTRY
WARRANTING THIS MEDAL.
THE METAL CONTENT OF THIS MEDAL IS SILVER, THE OBVERSE RESEMBLES THE
APPEARANCE OF A BRITISH PENNY~ AS IT HAS A SITTING BRITTANIA WITH TRIDENT.
THE MOTTO nFoR GOD AND THE EMPIREII IS AROUND THE OBVERSE EDGE. ON THE RE-
VERSE IS THE ROYAL CYPHER AND THE WORDS~ tlFoR GALLANTRYn. IT IS WORN ON
A PURPLE RIBBON,
DURING 19Z1~ GERMAN PLANES ATTACKED THE ~OUTHERN PART OF ENGLAND.
NEVER BEFORE HAD BRITAIN BEEN SO SEVERELY BOMBED, BECAUSE OF THIS9 CIV-
ILIANS WERE UNDER GREATER DANGER THAN MANY OF THE MEN IN SERVICE. IN THESE
CIRCUMSTANCESI MANY ACTS OF GALLANTRY WERE PERFORMED BY CIVILIANS~ SUCH AS
RESCUING VICTIMS FROM BOMBED BUILDINGS~ DEFUSING UNEXPLODED BOMBS THAT HAD
FALLEN ON CITIES~ ETC.
KING GEORGE Vl REALIZED THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR A NEW GALLANTRY
MEDAL~ AS THE VICTORIA CROSS WAS NOT GIVEN TO A CIVILIAN FOR AN ACT OF
GALLANTRY° HE THEN DECIDED TO REPLACE THE EXISTING EMPIRE GALLANTRY MEDAL
WITH A NEW DECORATION~ THE GEORGE CROSS,
THE KING SKETCHED THIS NEW DECORATION ROUGHLY~ AND THE FINAL TOUCHES
WERE GIVEN TO IT BY F,W, BARRY~ M°V,D,
THE GEORGE CROSS IS MADE OF PLAIN SILVER~ IN THE FORM OF A GENEVA
CROSS. IT IS SIMPLE AND VERY PLAIN IN APPEARANCE. A MODERN VERSION OF ~T.
GEORGE SLAYING THE DRAGON IS CENTRALLY LOCATED ON THE PIECE~ AND AROUND
THIS ARE THESE WORDS: ~FoR GALLANTRY~t¯ IN THE ANGLES OF THE CROSS ARE THE
SMALL INITIALS: IIG.V.I,II. THE REVERSE IB PLAIN~ EXCEPT FOR THE NAME OF THE
RECIPIENT ENGRAVED UPON IT,
SIZE OF THE CROSS IS 47 MM~ AND IT IS SUSPENDED FROM A SMALL’RING.
ABOVE THIS RING IS A FLAT BAR DECORATED WITH LEAVES. THE RIBBON~ WHICH IS
GARTER BLUE~ PASSES THROUGH THIS BAR. LADY GEORGE CROSS RECIPIENTS WEAR
THEIR DECORATIONS FROM A BOW,
ON THE 2~RD OF SEPTEMBER OF 19)"t0~ THE KING IN A RADIO BROADCAST SAID= ttMANY AND GLORIOUS ARE THE DEEDS OF GALLANTRY DONE DURING THESE P~RILOUS
BUT FAMOUS DAYS. IN ORDER THAT THEY SHOULD BE WORTHILY AND PROMPTLY REQOG-
NIZED~ I HAVE DECIDED TO CREATE AT ONCE~ A NEW MARK OF HONOR FOR MEN AND
WOMEN IN ALL WALKS OF CIVILIAN LIFE, 1 PROPOSE TO GIVE MY NAME TO THIS NEW
DISTINCTIONj WHICH WILL CONSIST OF THE GEORGE CROSS, IT WILL RANK NEXT TO
THE VICTORIA CROSS.I1
~O WAS BORN THE GEORGE CROSS, ALL PERSONS ALREADY IN THE POSSESSION
OF THE EMPIRE GALLANTRY MEDAL~ WERE TO HAVE THIS DECORATION REPLACED BY
THE NEW GEORGE CROGS~ AS STIPULATED BY A WARRANT PUBLISHED 21 JANUARY 1~41.
SINCE ITS INSTITUTION IN 1~40~ THERE HAVE BEEN APPROXIMATELY 24~
GEORGE CROSS RECIPIENTS. 6~ OF THESE WERE POSTHUMOUSLY GIVEN. !12 OF THESE WERE ORIGINALLY EMPIRE GALLANTRY MEDAL WlNNERS~ WHOSE MEDALS WERE EXCHANGED
FOR GEORGE CROSSEB~ AS PER THE WARRANT OF 21 JANUARY 1941, MANY OF THE RE-
CIPIENTS OF THE EMPIRE GALLANTRY MEDAL~ AND THE GEORGE CROSB~ WERE MEMBERS
OF THE ARMED FORCES,
THE RECIPIENT OF THE GEORGE CROSS IN MY COLLECTION WAS FIRST GIVEN THE
EMPIRE GALLANTRY MEDAL~ WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY EXCHANGED FOR THE GEORGE CRoss.
FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE~ 2~ JULY 19~~ CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE OR-
DERS OF KNIGHTHOOD~ ST, JAMEBIS PALACE~ ~.Wol°~ 2~ JULY 1~9; BTHE KING
HAS BEEN GRACIOUSLY PLEASED TO APPROVE OF THE AWARD OF THE MEDAL OF THE
MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE TO THE UNDER MENTIONED: / FOR GALLANTRY / NO. 43~g26~ CORPORAL
THOMAS ATKINSON~ 1ST BATTALION~ THE GREEN HOWARDB~ (ALEXANDRA PRINCESS OF WALES OWN YORKSHIRE REGIMENT),