Original British WWI 2nd Battle of the Somme KIA 1918 Death Penny Soldier Memorial With Research – Pte William Lamb, 15th Battalion (1st Birkenhead Cheshire Regt.) “Birkenhead Bantams” Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent example of an item issued out to the families of soldiers who met their untimely death on the battlefield. This particular “penny” was awarded to the next of kin for Private William Henry Lamb, a young soldier who served with the 15th Battalion (1st Birkenhead Cheshire Regiment) during WWI. Unfortunately Pte Lamb made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield during the Second Battle of the Somme.

The Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought during the First World War on the Western Front from late August to early September, in the basin of the River Somme. It was part of a series of successful counter-offensives in response to the German Spring Offensive, after a pause for redeployment and supply.

The most significant feature of the two 1918 Somme battles was that with the failure of the first 1918 Somme Battle (not to be confused with the 1916 Battle of the Somme) having halted what had begun as a large German offensive, the second formed the central part of the Allies’ advance to the Armistice of 11 November.

The Memorial Plaque was issued after the First World War to the next-of-kin of all British Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war.

The plaques (which could be described as large plaquettes) about 4.72 inches (120 mm) in diameter, were cast in bronze, and came to be known as the “Dead Man’s Penny”, or “Death Penny”, because of the similarity in appearance to the much smaller penny coin which itself had a diameter of only 1.215 inches (30.9 mm). 1,355,000 plaques were issued, which used a total of 450 tons of bronze, and continued to be issued into the 1930s to commemorate people who died as a consequence of the war.

It was decided that the design of the plaque was to be chosen from submissions made in a public competition. Over 800 designs were submitted, and the competition was won by the sculptor and medallist Edward Carter Preston using the pseudonym Pyramus, receiving two first place prizes of £250 for his winning and also an alternative design. The name Pyramus comes from the story of Pyramus and Thisbē which is part of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a Roman tragedy narrative poem.

Carter Preston’s winning design includes an image of Britannia holding a trident and standing with a lion. The designer’s initials, E.CR.P., appear above the front paw. In her outstretched left hand Britannia holds an olive wreath above the ansate tablet bearing the deceased’s name cast in raised letters. The name on this example reads as WILLIAM HENRY LAMB. Below the name tablet, to the right of the lion, is an oak spray with acorns. The name does not include the rank since there was to be no distinction between sacrifices made by different individuals. Two dolphins swim around Britannia, symbolizing Britain’s sea power, and at the bottom a second lion is tearing apart the German eagle. The reverse is blank, making it a plaquette rather than a table medaL though this one does have a small printout with a description taped to it:

Pvt WILLIAM HENRY LAMB 51384 of the 15th Cheshire Reg who died on 27 March 1918 and was remembered at the Pozieres memorial. He died at the Battle of The Somme and is entitled to the War and Victory Medal. Pvt Lamb was the only one on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Sixteen pages of research included.

Around the picture the legend reads (in capitals) “He died for freedom and honour”, or for the 1500 plaques issued to commemorate women, “She died for freedom and honour”.

They were initially made at the Memorial Plaque Factory, 54/56 Church Road, Acton, W3, London from 1919. Early Acton-made plaques did not have a number stamped on them but later ones have a number stamped behind the lion’s back leg.

The plaque comes more than ready for further research and display.