History of the Silver Cross Medal

Canadian Military History Volume 19 Issue 1 Article 5 2010 History of the Silver Cross Medal Suzanne Evans Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Suzanne Evans "History of the Silver Cross Medal." Canadian Military History 19, 1 (2010) This Canadian War Museum is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. : History of the Silver Cross Medal History of the Silver Cross Medal Suzanne Evans ach year on Remembrance Day extraordinary and tragic service of soldiers, by having struck a medal Ethe Silver Cross medal appears individuals and families. named the Silver Cross.”4 He used in the national media pinned to the The medal as originally conceived the common phrase of the day calling lapel of a war-bereaved woman. was for mothers alone. The idea was the medal the badge of the mothers’ When the Memorial Cross, as it is first publicized through Toronto’s “heroic sacrifice,” but he also used formally known, became official on 1 Mail and Empire. On 22 September his creative skill as a storyteller. December 1919 it was “as a memento 1916, the paper published a letter He contrived a simple street scene of personal loss and sacrifice on from Canadian novelist William to convey the medal’s meaning in the part of the mother and widow Alexander Fraser urging that a the everyday world of a war-weary of a sailor or soldier of Canada or silver cross be struck as a tribute to country. “Men might take off their Newfoundland who laid down his the mothers of slain soldiers. In the hats when they met a woman with life for his country.”1 following days and months the letter this medal on her breast; they could Times and cultures have changed. drew favourable comments and was get up, even if tired, and give her a No longer can widows be excluded reprinted in some of the most popular seat in a crowded car.”5 from qualifying for the medal on and respected publications of the Fraser knew words alone would grounds of immoral behaviour as day.2 not bring the medal into being so he they once were and recent recipients Fraser brought patriotism and enlisted the help of Prime Minister are not necessarily female or even popular storytelling to his idea. Robert Borden. He wrote to Borden family. The medal was touched Well-known for his novels and enclosing the newspaper clipping by politics early in its inception widely published articles he was of his letter to the editor and asked but for generations it has fulfilled often compared with British author a fundamental need for the state Rudyard Kipling. Both, for example, Résumé : Chaque année, le jour du to publicly show respect for the wrote children’s books filled with Souvenir, les médias du pays publient animal characters. Canadian right l’illustration de la médaille de la Croix down to his animals, Fraser stuck d’argent, épinglée à la robe d’une femme Abstract: Each year on Remembrance to beavers and bears although, like endeuillée. C’est sous l’appellation de Day the Silver Cross medal appears in the author of the Jungle Book he had « Croix du Souvenir » que la médaille fut national media imagery pinned to a rendue officielle, le premier décembre spent time in the land of lions and bereaved woman’s lapel. The Memorial 1919. Elle avait été conçue comme Cross, as it is formally known, was made tigers. His work as an oil prospector mémento destiné à la mère ou à la official on 1 December 1919. It was had taken him far from his native veuve d’un marin ou d’un soldat mort designed as a memento for the mother Nova Scotia to Burma, India and au combat. Avec les ans, les restrictions and widow of a sailor or soldier killed in Afghanistan.3 When ill health forced quant au genre et à la moralité des battle. Through the years restrictions on récipiendaires ont changé, reflétant him to abandon the drill, he took the gender and morality of the medal’s en cela l’évolution des attitudes en recipients have changed, mirroring up the pen and made a living with matière de culture au pays. Fruit de attitudinal shifts in Canadian culture words. l’analyse des 90 années d’histoire de at large. Through an examination of the Fraser’s letter to the editor of the la médaille, l’article mettra en lumière medal’s ninety-year history, this article Mail and Empire began: “Sir, - I should ces changements et montrera comment will outline these changes and show how la Croix d’argent a toujours honoré le the Silver Cross has continued to honour like to suggest that Canada might sacrifce et le service dans les forces sacrifice and military service. pay a beautiful and deserved tribute armées. to the mothers of slain Canadian Published© Canadian by Scholars Military Commons History @, Laurier,Volume 2010 19, Number 1, Winter 2010, pp.42-49. 43 1 Evans - Silver Cross Medal.indd 43 4/15/2010 1:28:37 PM Canadian Military History, Vol. 19 [2010], Iss. 1, Art. 5 CWM 58E 6 4.1 19790335 001 19790335 CWM 58E 6 4.1 Silver Cross mothers at Vimy https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol19/iss1/542 2 Evans - Silver Cross Medal.indd 42 4/15/2010 1:28:37 PM : History of the Silver Cross Medal for “kind consideration” of the mourning the feeling of the matter.6 The prime Minister American people that such enthusiastically replied losses are a matter of glory seven days later promising to rather than of prostrating grief discuss the suggestion with and depression.” President his colleagues. In a subsequent Woodrow Wilson supported the memorandum Borden noted idea.11 it was “a wonderfully taking The German scarfpin, the idea” and “aught to be gone on American gold star and Fraser’s with at once” when it mattered suggestion of a Canadian silver the most to the mothers who cross medal offered a way to had “earned such recognition.”7 show respect to mothers while allowing private associations or Canadian War Museum (CWM) 20050102-005a Canadian War the state itself to proscribe what Silver Token of Pride to mourning women were wearing Replace Depressing The Memorial Cross – shiny tokens of pride rather Cloak of Black than depressing cloaks of black. for the war in a wide variety of ways he publication of Fraser’s idea including calling for mourning black Tcame when women’s mourning to be replaced with a band the colour For More Than Mothers clothes, an obvious and at times of royal power. extravagant symbol of loss, had The value of mourning clothes espite the original suggestion become a subject of public debate. was questioned on both sides of the Dthat the medal be for mothers During the war this long-time custom ocean and, interestingly enough, alone, when it was struck in 1919 both was questioned for the negative of the battlefield. On 30 January mothers and wives of soldiers killed impact it might have on support for 1915, three months before the Globe in the war were eligible. Soldiers’ the war. More than a year before piece, the London Times published a wives were among the women Fraser announced his idea for the report submitted by the subject of an Borden had been politically courting silver cross an editorial in the Toronto unidentified neutral country about prior to the election of 17 December Globe on 8 May 1915 made reference life in Berlin. 1917. A major plank of Borden’s to an appeal by the National Council Union Party platform was the highly of Women suggesting that instead In the matter of mourning, it is contentious issue of conscription. In of wearing depressing black women agreed that the wearing of black the summer prior to the election, he should “wear a band of royal purple can only tend to depress the spirits canvassed women’s organizations on the arm, to signify that the soldier of those who have relatives at the across the country to see who would they mourn died gloriously for his front – so an association has been support his government’s policy King and Country.”8 Notably, the formed which proposes to substitute of conscription. He asked Mrs. editorial was published the day for all mourning a little scarfpin, F.H. Torrington, president of the after the sinking of the Lusitania. with the inscription, “Stolz gabich National Council of Women, Mrs. News of the ship being torpedoed ein teures Haupt furs Vaterland” L.A. Hamilton, chairman of the by the Germans had reached North (Proudly I gave a beloved one for the Women’s Section of the Win-the-War America just hours after the event Fatherland). 10 League and president of the National and filled the headlines the next day. Equal Franchise League, and Mrs. The galvanizing effect on Canadian After the United States entered Albert Gooderham, national regent public opinion was palpable then the war in April 1917 the New York of the Imperial Order Daughters of 001 19790335 CWM 58E 6 4.1 and for long after. Even Canadian Times published a suggestion made the Empire for help gathering this suffragist Nellie McClung, not known by the Women’s Committee of the information. On 2 August 1917 these for her support of the war, later Council of National Defence that women sent telegrams to the members admitted, “It was the Lusitania that mourning women wear a black band of their organizations asking “Would brought me to see the whole truth.

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