Description
Slesvig medal 1920, silver,
Instituted on 15 April 1920. One of the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War 1 was that 2 plebiscites (referendums) would be held in the central and northern parts of the Duchy of Schleswig so that the residents could determine if they wished to be part of Germany or Denmark (the Duchy had been a point of conflict from 1848 to 1864 when Prussia and Austria defeated Denmark and Prussia annexed it). Awarded to the British and French army and naval forces under the command of Vice Admiral T.D.L. Sheppard that occupied the Duchy during the plebiscites to ensure a fair and free election. The 1st Battalion Notts & Derby Regt, and the French 22nd Battalion, Chasseurs Alpin commanded by Colonel Paul-Louis-René-Antoine de Soyer, the crews of HMS Carysfort, HMS Seawolf, HMS Sesame and HM Tug St. Anne, together some men from the Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps, Naval Supply Office and a military hospital. The result of the vote was that the northern part of the Duchy was returned to Denmark but the central part remained in Germany.
