The Memorial Plaque, also known as the Dead Man’s Penny, was presented to the families of the soldiers who fought for the British Commonwealth and died during World War 1 or after the war of injuries received during the war.

 The plaques are 12cm in diameter and cast in bronze gunmetal.  Over 1.3 million plaques were issued, which used a total of 450 tons of bronze.   On the plaque was the image of Britannia and a lion, two dolphins representing Britain’s sea power and the emblem of Imperial Germany’s eagle being torn to pieces by another lion. ‘He died for freedom and honour’ was inscribed along the outer edge.  However, the first 800 were inscribed with ‘She died for Freedom and Honour.’  The “S” was removed from the cast, changing the rest to say He.

The Canadian Memorial Cross, also known as the Silver Cross for Mothers, was presented to Canadian Mothers and or Widows of fallen soldiers. The cross bore the cypher of King George V in the centre. The medal, made of silver, resembled a cross suspended by an 11 mm-wide purple ribbon.  The purple stands for suffering, mourning and death.  It was automatically given to the Wife or Mother of the deceased.  More than 90,000 Silver Crosses have been issued since 1919 in Canada.

This exhibit will showcase the service to Canada of Gunner William Gladstone Hilborn and Private Donald Reid, Whose families received the memorials under very different circumstances.