Médaille des Évadés, issued 1926
Image["French Medal for Escaped Prisoners of War, 1926"]Obverse, a wreathed bust of Marianne facing left
Image["French Medal for Escaped Prisoners of War, 1926"]Reverse, legend with wreath around
Médaille des Évadés, 1926
Some time after the Allied victory in the Great War it was decided to issue a gallantry medal (in bronze) for all those French servicemen who had escaped from enemy captivity during the hostilities. The award, of which this is one, was made in 1926. Its recipient in this case, who is unnamed, must have been unfortunately short of money, because Lester Watson purchased the medal from the London dealers Baldwin only the next year, in 1927.