Victory Medal WWI : Able Seaman E. L. Holman, RAN

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Victory Medal WWI : Able Seaman E. L. Holman, RAN

Date1914-1918

Object number00045217

NameMedal

MediumMetal, cloth

DimensionsOverall: 120 x 35 x 3 mm, 29.83 g

ClassificationsCoins and medals

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis World War I campaign medal was awarded to Able Seaman Edwin Lawrence Holman, born 9 March 1879 in St Mary's, Sussex, England and who served in the Royal Australian Navy in 1915-1916. Holman was formerly an Able Seaman in the British Royal Navy. His service record shows that he served in the Sydney depot ship HMAS PENGUIN and was then sent to HMAS CERBERUS (a guardship and munitions store) in Victoria for training in service in Armed Merchant vessels. His service number was 4888 and he is described as being 5' 8 ½ " tall, with dark brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion; he had tattoo marks on both arms. Holman's ribbon bar and other medals (1914-15 Star and British War Medal) are also held in the museum's collection.HistoryThe Victory medal was authorised in 1919 to commemorate the victory of the Alied Forces over the Central Powers. Each Allied nation issued a Victory medal to their own nationals - all having the allegorical figure of Victory on the obverse (front) as the common feature. Australians were awarded the Great Britain version. The winged figure of Victory features on this bronze medal; the reverse has the words THE GREAT / WAR FOR / CIVILISATION surrounded by a wreath of laurel. The ribbon has a two-rainbow design, with the violet from each rainbow on the outer edges moving through to a central stripe of red as both rainbows meet. Edwin Holman was born in England to Frederick and Charlotte Holman and was brother to Mabel, Alice and Norah; his father was a tailor. After his service in the Royal Australian Navy is seems he stayed on in Australia and in 1938 married Minnie Iris Newman at Annandale, Sydney, New South Wales; she was 23 years his junior. Minnie was the daughter of David and Catherine Newman; she was born at Boorowa (near Young, New South Wales) in 1902. Edwin worked for the NSW Tramways and died at Rockdale on 21 January 1956; he is buried at Rookwood cemetery. Minnie died in 1971.