Historical Medals

FRANCE, La France á Verdun - ‘Le Poilu’, c. 1917, a light bronze plaquette by G.-H. Prud’homme, naked soldier standing facing, head left, holding sword and billowing standard; cannon and gnarled landscape in background, rev. helmeted bust of Marianne left in medallion, laurel branch and ornate tablet below, named (J. Begley July 4, 1922), 66 x 47mm (CGMP III, 323. cf. BDW 13/200). Extremely fine with tan patina; in case of issue £80-£100

The Battle of Verdun lasted for most of 1916 and resulted in an important victory for France but at the cost of almost three-quarters of a million lives lost on both sides. The name le poilu (meaning hairy) was a slang term for French infantrymen in the war, on account of their rarely having the chance to shave while in the trenches.