Today as part of my degree course I made a presentation on an object of my choice from any of the museums we had visited throughtout the first term I decided to talk about a Military Cross which is exhibited in Cathays’ Museum. Here are some of the points I put forward in my presentation.
This particular military cross is one of several decorations awarded to Captain Arthur Edwards throughout his military career.
Captain Edwards was awarded the military cross in June 1915; he was honoured with this particular decoration for his involvement in the famous trench warfare of the First World War.
The medals were obtained by the museum in 2006.
The medal is an ornamental silver cross with four imperial crowns, one on each stalk. The cross is suspended from a plain bar. In the centre of the cross is a royal cypher (which is the initials of the ruling monarch). The reverse of the cross is usually plain but as you can see this one is engraved with the recipient and date awarded. The ribbon for this medal has three equal vertical stripes of white, purple and white.
The cross was first established on 28 December 1914, just 5 months after the start of the First World War in mainland Europe.
Capt Edwards was originally from Blaenafon in south Wales, and joined many young Welshmen in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions Monmouthshire Regiment, who formed a bold and audacious company whose task it was to destroy the enemy with tunnels and mines.
The main objective was to place mines beneath enemy defensive positions. So when detonated, the explosion would destroy that section of the trench and any buildings standing above. That then would give the infantry the opportunity to advance towards the enemy front-line taking advantage of the confusion that followed the explosion of the underground mine.
It could take as long as a year to dig a tunnel and place a mine. As well as digging their own tunnels, the miners had to listen out for enemy tunnellers. On occasions miners could accidentally dig into the opposing side's tunnel and then fierce underground fighting would take place.
Bumping into the enemy deep underground was not the only problem awaiting these men in the trenches, millions of rats, frogs and lice also shared their temporary home. Rats eat the dead and gorged themselves to the size of cats, lice laid their eggs in the seams of clothing and with the heat of the body hatched, causing the men to have Trench fever was a painful disease that started with severe pain and was then followed by a high fever. It could take up to twelve weeks to recover from trench fever. Another trench related illness was trench foot which was a fungal infection caused by the wet, cold and filthy conditions in the trenches, the infection could turn gangrenous and lead to amputation.
Despite everything against him and many alike, Capt Edwards served throughout the war until he was badly wounded by a gas shell in June 1918.
The military cross is awarded to those in service as recognition of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land.
I think the sentiment surrounding medals today has changed immensely due to usual circumstances in which someone will receive a medal, Corporal Ricky Furgusson of the 4th Battalion The Rifles who is the most recent soldier to receive the military cross lost both legs and an eye in a bomb blast whilst serving in Afghanistan. It seems the understanding of gallantry in action has changed since the cross was established. Although Capt Edwards Faced horrific conditions during the first world war he was given his award because he showed courage and daring whilst in action as where Cpl Furgusson probably would not have been awarded if he had not been injured in action even though he attended soldiers who had been wounded in improvised explosive devices on four separate occasions, showing gallantry.
