MEDAL OF MILITARY
MERIT
The Medal was created in 1916 by the
Salonika Revoluntionary Committee and was at first called the Military
Medal, but after it was confirmed by Royal Decree of 30 June 1917, it
became known as the Medal of Military Merit (Romanoff, 1987). It
was awarded to officers of the Army, Navy, Red Cross and other
organisations for services in war although not necessarily under fire.
The Medals is a round plaque of bronze,
edged with a wreath of laurel, superimposed upon a Greek cross with arms
inscribed 'In the defence of the Fatherland' in Greek. In the centre is a
Phoenix with wings upraised and with two swords placed saltire-wise under
the cross. The reverse is inscribed with 'Greece 1916 - 1917' in Greek.
The medal is pendent on the top of the cross by a ribbon of orange moiré,
with a black stripe towards each edge (Dorling, 1960).
The Medal was awarded in four degrees each denoted by a wreath, as shown in the photo
above and awarded by rank as follows:
1st Class - Gold wreath on ribbon (Senior General Officers)
2nd Class - Silver wreath on ribbon (Junior General Officers)
3rd Class - Bronze wreath on ribbon (Colonels and Majors)
4th Class - Plain ribbon without the wreath (Captains and Junior Officers)
The degree of the award was denoted when ribbons only were worn by an emblem in gold, silver or bronze. This device was similar to the British First World War Mention in Despatches emblem (Hutching, 2008).
BRONZE MEDAL, FOURTH CLASS
Surgeon Louis Bruce STRINGER
Awarded for service as a Royal Navy Surgeon attached to the Royal Air Force at Limenaria Hospital, Thasos, Greece. Listed in London Gazette 3 December 1918. Attended Nelson College from 1894 to 1898, before attending medical school in England and then working at Guy's Hospital. Joined the Royal Navy during World War I, then transferred to the Royal Air Force as Captain Stringer in 1918. Later Medical Practitioner in Christchurch. Died at
Christchurch 7 August 1943.