August 10, 2017 – The Royal Mint is to honour the memory of the only person to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice during the First World War, by depicting his portrait on a precious metal £5 coin. Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse VC and BAR, MC is to feature in The Royal Mint’s 6-coin set for 2017 alongside a moving selection of people, themes and events that continue the organisation’s telling of the First World War story, 100 years on.
Great Britain / £5 “Noel Chavasse” / .925 silver / 38.61mm / 28.28g / Reverse Design: David Cornell / Mintage: 1917 (set).
On 2 August 1917, Royal Army Medical Corps Captain, Noel Chavasse, was gravely wounded by shell fire at the Third Battle of Ypres, known as Passchendaele, but continued to care for other casualties until he was taken to a ‘Casualty Clearing Station’ where he died on 4 August, 1917. Chavasse had already been awarded the highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, for his actions during the Battle of the Somme in August 1916. For his bravery at Passchendaele a year later, he was posthumously awarded a Bar to his Victoria Cross – the only man to receive this double honour during the First World War.
Great Britain / £5 “The Battle of Arras” / .925 silver / 38.61mm / 28.28g / Reverse Design: David Cornell / Mintage: 1917 (set).
Part of The Royal Mint’s First World War series in association with Imperial War Museums (IWM), the sets are being released every year until 2018 covering a range of themes such as key battles, the armed forces and support services, technological developments of the period, the cultural impact of war and stories of some of the heroes of the time.
Great Britain / £5 “Art and the War” / .925 silver / 38.61mm / 28.28g / Reverse Design: David Cornell / Mintage: 1917 (set).
Anne Jessopp, The Royal Mint’s Director of Consumer Business said: “The Royal Mint has a long association with the military, having made medals for military campaigns since 1815. The Royal Mint will have made Captain Noel Chavasse’s Military Cross, for example, so we are honoured this year to be reflecting on his bravery, and other poignant First World War themes from 1917, 100 years on.”
Great Britain / £5 “Gas” / .925 silver / 38.61mm / 28.28g / Reverse Design: David Cornell / Mintage: 1917 (set).
Great Britain / £5 “Medical Services” / .925 silver / 38.61mm / 28.28g / Reverse Design: David Cornell / Mintage: 1917 (set).
Great Britain / £5 “Sopwith Camel” / .925 silver / 38.61mm / 28.28g / Reverse Design: David Cornell / Mintage: 1917 (set).
The six-coin sets are presented with detailed information on the theme, the design and the artist, helping to tell the story behind the coins. Developed in association with IWM, this Royal Mint Proof standard six-coin set is available in 22 carat gold strictly limited to just 25 sets and as a 925 sterling silver edition limited to 1917 sets.
For more information on the coin set go to the Royal Mint website.
The BBC has produced a 3 minute documentary on Noel Chavasse.
And that’s a documentary a student has made about “the forgotten hero”.
The British National Archives have made available a lot of material regarding the First World War.
Ten historians from different countries give an overview on the First World War in short videos put together by The Guardian.