Miniature circular silvered bronze medal with laterally pierced ball and ring suspension; the face with a three quarter length French and British soldier facing right, rifles with fixed bayonets held across their bodies at the ready, the ruins of Arras beyond, inscribed above ‘ARRAS’,; the reverse with a lion standing facing right, its front paws on the chest of a recumbent dragon, Arras cathedral intact beyond, dated 1914-1918 above; diameter 12.08mm (0.47 inch); on original ribbon. The medal was instituted in 1956 on the initiative of the Comité National des Vétérans de 1914.1918 and took the same form as the table medal created by the Swiss artist Paul Bouvier in 1936. A first wearable version of the medal had a double ring suspension; a second, more frequently encountered version, had a laterally-pierced ball, as in this example. Arras holds a strategic position in north-west France and was the scene of devastating fighting during World War I, particularly in April and May 1917. The medal is quite rare, especially in miniature.
|