Original British WWI KIA Death Penny Soldier Memorial - David Smith

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely WWI Memorial Plaque commemorating the life and service of David Smith, a British soldier who fell on an unknown battlefield with an unknown unit. Due to how common his name is, there were a few David Smiths that came up in multiple databases, most Killed In Action. It would be nearly impossible to determine which specific David Smith it was, but in all reality anyone you pick would be “correct”. Comes ready for further research and display. The Memorial Plaque was issued after the First World War to the next-of-kin of all British Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war. The plaques (which could be described as large plaquettes) about 4.72 inches (120 mm) in diameter, were cast in bronze, and came to be known as the "Dead Man’s Penny", or “Death Penny”, because of the similarity in appearance to the much smaller penny coin which itself had a diameter of only 1.215 inches (30.9 mm). 1,355,000 plaques were issued,