Great War Propaganda Medals

A very well known decoration, the Iron Cross was he Iron Cross was held in great renown by the Germans. However, some of the ‘victories’ against civilians in places like Scarborough and some towns in Belgium were not a good look for their armed forces.

As a way of simultaneously mocking their enemy and raising war funds, the British made and sold thousands of imitations from cheap cast iron. They were then shipped to the front and strewn around the battlefield. Often they were inscribed with the names of some of the dishonourable ‘battles’ German forces had engaged in – eg. Amiens, Whitby, Hartlepool, Ghent.

One of the badges featured here reads ‘Iron Kaisers Cross’ and is one of the rarest types. In some cases they fetch more than the real iron cross itself!