Medal - Nova Scotia's Part in the Great War ND

Reverse

The blank reverse allows you the opportunity to engrave the name of a relative that served in the First World War.

Designer: Martin Phillips

Edge

Plain

Comment

At that time, Canada’s entire population was under 8 million, and yet approximately 619,000 Canadians signed up. That’s about seven per cent of the population. And that doesn’t include the hundreds of thousands of Canadians working on the home front to support the troops and the war effort. Of those enlisted Canadians, over 35,000 were Nova Scotians. Three Nova Scotian battalions saw combat in France and Belgium: The Royal Canadian Regiment, the 85th Battalion, and the 25th Battalion. The Royal Canadian Regiment had been in existence for decades, having fought in the Northwest Rebellion in 1885, but it couldn’t join the deployment until August 1915 due to an earlier assignment. The 85th Battalion (the “Nova Scotia Highlanders” was deployed in February 1917. The first unit to see action was the 25th Battalion (also known as the “Nova Scotia Rifles”, “MacKenzie Battalion”, “Master Raiders”, “Raiding Battalion”). One thousand Nova Scotians started with the 25th Battalion, serving in Belgian trenches, fighting at Ypres, the Battle of the Somme, Passchendaele, and other battles. After one year, 900 had been killed, taken prisoner, missing, or injured.

This medal, produced by Citadel Coins of Halifax Nova Scotia Canada, commemorates the 100th anniversary of World War I and Nova Scotia's contribution. Pure silver and brass versions were also produced.