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Object number: AHM5527.
Appearance: Obverse – A soldier holding a sword standing in front of Australia (figure 1-a).
Reverse – A map of the southern hemisphere. The bottom half of Australia, Africa and America are shown as well as New Zealand and Antarctica. Antarctica has a C in the middle of it. At the bottom of the medal is a whale and on the far left is a two mast boat. “Victory” is written on the left with “medal” written on the right. At very bottom reads “STOKES MELB” (figure 1-b).
Medal size: 27mm.
Metal: Silvered bronze.[1]
Ribbon: Red, white and blue.
Object Information: Minted by Stokes and Sons with around 1,252,500 medals being struck[2]. The medal was designed by Lyndon Dadswell and approved by the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board[3]. The medal was distributed on the 6th of June 1945 with celebrations for the end of World War 2 being held on the 10th of June 1945[4].
Lyndon Dadswell (1908-1986) was born in Sydney Australia and attended Julian Ashton’s Sydney Art School, East Sydney Technical College and the Royal Academy in England. Through his studies he became a sculptor and a teacher in technical drawing. In 1940 Dadswell joined the Australian Imperial Force where he later became a war artist after being injured. The sculptures he created during this time became some of his most well known and can now be found in the Australian War Memorial.[5]
figure 1-a. | Figure 1-b. |
Figure 1-a. object AHM5527 obverse. Figure 1-b. AHM5527 reverse. Images courtesy of The Australian History Museum Macquarie University. |
[1] Carlisle, L.J., Australian Historical Medals 1788-1988, pg. 286.
[2] Ibid, pg. 286.
[3] Australian War Memorial, Commemorative Victory 1945 Medalet, <http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/Rel38411>.
[4] Ibid
[5] Edwards, D., Dadswell, Lyndon Raymond (1908-1986), <http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dadswell-lyndon-raymond-12389>.