Goetz Lusitania Medal

[bill]

Although I sold my other Goetz medals a couple of years ago, I have been looking for one or more to add to my new art medal collection. I always had a soft spot for his satirical medal about the sinking of the Lusitania, especially since it became the center piece of a propaganda war. The British seized on the mistaken date (May 5 instead of May 7) on the original medal as proof that the sinking was a diabolical plan and that Goetz designed the medal before the event. I had the chance recently to purchase a British lead copy (actually I think it might be zinc) in the original box with the original broadside. The box is not in great shape, but its the first I've seen outside one pictured in an article. I've never seen the broadside. In all, a nice set even if the box could be better.

 

 

For a larger image, easier to read, click here.

 

The ANS published a good article on medals of the period and include a picture of a well preserved box. You can read the article here.

[Scottishmoney]

This is the prime piece of false propaganda on the part of the British and the Americans. Much later on, it was determined that the Lusitania was indeed carrying munitions, rifles, shells etc. Narsty little secrets that were only revealed long after the fact, in fact after the lifetimes of any of the participants.

 

Thank you for sharing this, with the box and the paperwork it is a great piece of history about a very famous ship sinking.

[banivechi]

I remember two or three years ago I put a bid on one like this (maybe the same?) medal.

[bill]

I finally added a Goetz original (although with the correct May 7 date):

 

[constanius]

This is the prime piece of false propaganda on the part of the British and the Americans. Much later on, it was determined that the Lusitania was indeed carrying munitions, rifles, shells etc. Narsty little secrets that were only revealed long after the fact, in fact after the lifetimes of any of the participants.

 

Therefore, at the time the U-boat torpedoed and sunk the Lusitania it was only known for sure that civilians were onboard her. Mind, seeing as hospital ships were also torpedoed and sunk (incidentally one carrying some injured german prisoner-of-war to England) it was not that unexpected.

 

 

The Llandovery Castle built in 1914 in Glasgow as RMS Llandovery Castle for Union Castle Line, was a Canadian hospital ship torpedoed off southern Ireland on 27 June 1918 with the loss of 234 lives. When the crew took to the lifeboats, U-86 surfaced, ran down all the lifeboats except one, and shot at the people in the water. Only the 24 people in the remaining lifeboat survived. They were rescued shortly afterwards and testified as to what had happened. The 234 others on board the Llandovery Castle drowned. Included in this figure were fourteen nursing sisters from across Canada who perished.

 

The German High Command obviously suspected both types of ships to be carrying munitions etc, which as you state turned out to be a correct assumption regarding the Lusitania, but importantly, only confirmed after all the participants were long gone. Why it was deemed necessary to sink lifeboats and shoot the survivors is another matter.

 

The deaths of 128 americans from the Lusitania help push America into the war and almost guaranteed victory for the Allies.

[Goetzdude]

Nice Bill, I'll eventually need to get me one of these sets for my web site to lay it out like Kienast did in Volume I. I do have both the Mai 5 & Mai 7 pieces in my collection and recently picked up a very funky bronze copy that isn't attributed anywhere. An obvious copy but it needs further study as it has some original attributes too but something isn't right about it.