Baltic Medal
The Baltic Medal is a British military award donated in 1856 . It was awarded to British soldiers who took part in the fighting in the Baltic Sea region during the Crimean War 1854-56 .
Appearance and material
The medal has a diameter of 36 mm and is made of silver . The obverse shows the head of Queen Victoria crowned with a diadem and the inscription 'VICTORIA REGINA'. Except for the missing year of the foundation, the front is similar to the Crimea Medal . The lapel shows Britannia sitting on a rock with a trident in hand. At the feet of Britannia there is a cannon and cannon balls stacked in a pyramid. The goddess looks towards Bomarsund Fortress, with Sveaborg Fortress in the background . The reverse of the medal was engraved by Leonard Charles Wyon , the obverse by his father William Wyon .
The medal itself is attached to the ribbon on a swiveling, floral-shaped suspension, the design of the suspension is similar to that of the Crimea Medal. However, a version with a more simply designed suspension has also been handed down.
The medal was given to the troops without a name engraving, copies with edge engraving were engraved privately.
The band is 28 mm wide. It is yellow with 3mm wide pale blue edges on each side.
carrier
The foundation of the medal was ordered by Queen Victoria on April 23, 1856 after a tour of the fleet at Spithead . It was awarded to members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marine Artillery and Royal Marine Light Infantry who took part in combat operations in the Baltic Sea region during the Crimean War. Another one hundred and six medals were awarded to soldiers of the Royal Sappers and Miners who were involved in the destruction of the Russian forts of Bomarsund and Sveaborg.
literature
- James A. Mackay, Philip Mussel: Medals Yearbook. 2006 . Edited by John W. Mussell. Token Publishing Ltd, Honiton 2005, ISBN 1-870192-70-2 (English).
- EC Joslin, AR Litherland, BT Simpkin (Eds.): British battles & medals . New Edition. Spink, London 1988, ISBN 0-907605-25-7 (English).
