WWII Victory Medal
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Elizabeth Ann Nolan
(American, 1924 - 2017)
Date1944-1952
MediumBronze, silk
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions: 3 × 1 3/8 × 1 1/2in. (7.6 × 3.5 × 3.8cm)
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineGift of Elizabeth Nolan Barnicle
Object number2017.55.2
DescriptionWorld War II Victory Medal awarded to Elizabeth Nolan for serving in the Navy with the WAVES during World War II.
Bronze circular medal suspended from a multicolor striped watered silk service ribbon with a safety pin for attachment. The obverse of the medal is a figure of Liberation standing full length with head turned to dexter looking to the dawn of a new day, right foot resting on a war god’s helmet with the hilt of a broken sword in the right hand and the broken blade in the left hand, the inscription WORLD WAR II placed immediately below the center.
On the reverse are inscriptions for the Four Freedoms: "FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND WANT and FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION" separated by a palm branch, all within a circle composed of the words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1941-1945."
The suspension and service ribbon of the medal consists of the following stripes: a double rainbow in juxtaposition (blue, green, yellow, red, yellow, green, and blue); white; red (center stripe); white; a double rainbow in juxtaposition (blue, green, yellow, red, yellow, green, and blue).
NotesHistorical Note: The World War II Victory Medal was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The medal was designed by Mr. Thomas H. Jones.Bronze circular medal suspended from a multicolor striped watered silk service ribbon with a safety pin for attachment. The obverse of the medal is a figure of Liberation standing full length with head turned to dexter looking to the dawn of a new day, right foot resting on a war god’s helmet with the hilt of a broken sword in the right hand and the broken blade in the left hand, the inscription WORLD WAR II placed immediately below the center.
On the reverse are inscriptions for the Four Freedoms: "FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND WANT and FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION" separated by a palm branch, all within a circle composed of the words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1941-1945."
The suspension and service ribbon of the medal consists of the following stripes: a double rainbow in juxtaposition (blue, green, yellow, red, yellow, green, and blue); white; red (center stripe); white; a double rainbow in juxtaposition (blue, green, yellow, red, yellow, green, and blue).
Subject Note: During WWII, women were eager to get involved in the war effort. Despite political resistance from those who believed women had no place in the Navy, President Roosevelt passed the Navy Women’s Reserve Act into law on July 30, 1942, creating the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). This opened up new opportunities for women, allowing them to work as aviation mechanics, photographers, control tower operators, and parachute riggers. Although WAVES were not allowed to serve aboard combat ships or aircraft, these women were stationed at 900 shore stations in the continental U.S., later expanding to Alaska and Hawaii. By the end of WWII, more than 84,000 women had served in the WAVES. After the war, Congress passed a law allowing women to gain permanent status in all branches of the U.S. military, effectively disbanding the WAVES organization.
On March 15, 1944, twenty-one-year-old Hartford native Elizabeth “Betty” Nolan, joined the WAVES, where she was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Alameda, CA. To prepare, she attended the U.S. Naval Training School at Hunter College, NY, and Yeoman School at the Iowa Teachers College, Cedar Falls, IA. After the war, Betty worked in the Patent Department of the Underwood Research Laboratories until she and her husband, John P. Barnicle, started their family.
Status
Not on view
Noble & Westbrook Division
John Henry Kelso Davis