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), .