Circular silver medal with bar for ribbon suspension; the face with a circular central medallion bearing the head of King Vittorio Emanuele III circumscribed ‘VITT. EMAN. III RE D’ITALIA’ imposed on a five-pointed star within a circular laurel wreath; the reverse inscribed ‘AI VETERANI E REDUCI GUARDIA D’ONORE ALLE TOMBE DEI RE VITTORIO EMANUELE ii E UMBERTO I’; on replaced correct ribbon. The medal was created on 14 August 1920 to replace the earlier version since the guard of honour was increasingly made up of veterans of World War I rather than those of 1848 to 1870. In 1878, King Vittorio Emanuele II, first king of a united Italy, was buried in the Pantheon in Rome rather than in the family crypt of the Savoy ruling family. On 9 August 1900, his son, King Umberto I was also interred there. A guard of honour drawn from veterans was mounted at the tombs and the medal awarded to participants in recognition of their service. Two versions of the medal are known, one by the Italian Royal Mint and one by S. Johnson; this example is of the latter type.
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