The Allied Victory Medal, from the Cecil Bostock archive

The Allies each issued their own bronze victory medal but with a similar design, equivalent wording and identical ribbon. The colours represent the combined colours of the Allied nations, with the rainbow additionally representing the calm after the storm. The ribbon consists of a double rainbow with red at the centre.The British version depicts the winged figure of Victory on the front of the medal and on the back, it says 'The Great War for Civilisation 1914-1919’.To qualify, an individual had to have entered a theatre of war (an area of active fighting), not just served overseas. Their service number, rank, name and unit were impressed on the rim. Approximately 5.7 million Victory Medals were issued.