Front side of LCol Miller's bronze memorial plaque, featuring his full name, and image of Britannia.

WW1 Memorial Plaque – LCol A. A. Miller

Bronze circle memorial plaque given to family of LCol A. A. Miller after his passing in the war, with his name in a rectangular box on the plaque reading: “ARMOUR ADAMSON MILLER”.

The design of the plaque was decided upon through a public competition and the winner was a Mr. Edward Carter Preston (1894-1965), and his initials are on each plaque above the front leg and foot of the large lion as E.CR.P. A detailed description of the plaque from the UK’s Imperial War Museum: “The design features the figure of Britannia facing to her left and holding a laurel wreath in her left hand. Underneath the laurel wreath is a box where you will find the commemorated serviceman or woman’s name. The name was cast in raised relief on each plaque, achieved by a labour-intensive process not fully known today. In her right hand she is holding a trident. In representation of Britain’s sea power there are two dolphins each facing Britannia on her left and right sides.

A growling lion is stands in front of Britannia, with another much smaller lion under its feet, biting the German Imperial eagle.

Around the edge of the plaque are the words “HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR”. ”

This memorial plaque was made in 1920, or later, when the production of the plaques moved to the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, UK, which can be identified as this later version by a number between the back leg and tail of the large lion, and a small circle on the reverse side with a “WA” inside it, with the “A” being formed from the middle rise of the “W” and a line across it; both are present on this plaque. Also, the plaque has been carved afterwards, not part of original manufacture design, on the back multiple times with horizontal and vertical lines forming a large grid pattern.

Further reading on the history of the memorial set available at the Imperial War Museum: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/first-world-war-next-of-kin-plaque . Note: the design of the plaque resembled a British penny at the time and so was nicknamed the Dead Man’s Penny.

Associated place
NA
Associated event
NA
Associated name(s)
NA
Era
1914 – 1919 (WW 1), 1920 – 1938 Interwar period
Location of artifact
Case 42 Marshall, Miller
Classification
Medals

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