Miniature circular bronze medal with laterally-pierced loop for ribbon suspension; the face with a Roman eagle standard above raised arms holding daggers, inscribed ‘HIC MANEBIMUS OPTIME’ (Latin = Here we will very well stay); the reverse inscribed ‘AL LIBERATORI XII SETTEMBRE MCMXIX’ (To the Liberators 12 September 1919) above a wreath of laurel, a scroll below inscribed ‘FIUME D’ITALIA’ (Italian Fiume); diameter 17.9mm (0.7 inch); on replaced correct ribbon. The medal was instituted on 12 September 1919 by Gabriele d’Annunzio, leader of the unofficial expedition to seize control of the port of Fiume. It was awarded to the 2,500 volunteers who participated in the expedition and to its notable supporters, such as the scientist and engineer Guglielmo Marconi. On 31 January 1926 by Royal Decree No 273 members of the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (National Security Volunteer Militia) were given the right to wear the medal and by Royal Decree No. 1179 of 5 July 1938 this was extended to all members of the Italian Armed Forces. The medal was designed by A de Carolis and manufactured by S. Johnson but was not signed or marked. The phrase ‘Hic manebimus optime’ was reportedly the response of Marcus Furius Camillus, (ca. 446-365 BC) to the Roman senators who were on the point of abandoning Rome in the face of invasion by the Gauls in 390BC. The Treaty of Saint Germain between Austria and the victorious Allies at the end of World War I granted the port of Fiume on the Adriatic opposite Trieste to the new state of Yugoslavia (then known as the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes), despite its majority Italian population and having been promised to Italy during the war. Almost immediately, the Italian poet Gabriele d’Annunzio organized a force of volunteers and seized the city for Italy to tremendous popular acclaim. It was only on 24 December 1920 that the Italian government responded, shelling d’Annunzio’s headquarters and forcing his departure. The tactics and impact of a small group of volunteers prepared to use violence was not lost on an ambitious young politician named Benito Mussolini. In February 1947 Italy ceded Fiume, now renamed Rijeka, to Yugoslavia. Today the city is part of Croatia. An excellent example of a rare miniature.
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