Swiss War Medals II

By the First World War the Swiss had fortified their border and established a military system in which all able bodied men between the ages of 20 -55 were part of the armed forces. While they were not all called up at once they all served by units in rotation. With so many men taken out of the labor force the economy and their families suffered greatly. Voluntary fund raising relief efforts resulted some interesting medals which are often misattributed as German war medals. Illustrated here is the medal for contributors to the Swiss National Fund. The reverse inscription in Italian, German and French translates “for the relief of our soldiers and their families.” The .800 fine silver medal was sculpted by Hans Frei and exists in pin back and looped versions which are dated 1918. The obverse portrays a Swiss soldier wearing the traditional Swiss helmet which looks very similar to the German style helmet.