Item 04: Memorial plaque and scroll issued to William Foxford, ca.1922

William Foxford papers, 1916-1922

The memorial plaque design was selected from submissions made in a public competition with a winning prize of £250. The winner was sculptor and medallist Edward Carter Preston with his design called Pyramus. Production of the Plaque began in December 1918 at Acton in west London, later transferring to the Woolwich Arsenal and other munitions factories. 

This token 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 left outstretched left hand Britannia holds an oak wreath above the rectangular tablet bearing the deceased's name cast in raised letters. 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 first plaques were distributed in Australia in 1922. The Memorial Scroll was presented to the next of kin of those soldiers, sailors or nurses who died while serving in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) or Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during the First World War. Each plaque was sent out from Base Records Office at Victoria Barracks in Melbourne by second-class mail. Approximately 60,000 plaques were issued in Australia.

Reference:
Australian War Memorial

Item 04: Memorial plaque and scroll issued to William Foxford, ca.1922

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