- Time Period: The Great War
- Institution: 24 May 1924
- Country: Italy
The Medal for the War Volunteer 1915-1918 (or Medaglia di Volontario di Guerra 1915-1918 in Italian) is an Italian medal instituted on 24 May 1924 and awarded to those who entered the Italian armed volunteer forces during WW1. It was established with Royal Decree n. 1163 by the Italian government.
The medal was awarded to those who had participated in the war operations in a way worthy of commendation and who gave proof of belonging to one of the following categories:
- Former reformers who spontaneously enlisted as officers, non-commissioned officers or troop soldiers or of the CRE at least one month before the date of the decree that would have called them for a review visit;
- Soldiers who, declared unsuitable for war service due to injuries sustained in the war or due to infirmities, spontaneously returned to be part of the operating army or navy;
- Second and third category military personnel who had spontaneously taken up military service as officers, non-commissioned officers or militaries of the troop or the CRE at least four months before the date of the decree calling their class or category and actually were incorporated into the operating army or navy before the said recall;
- Spontaneously enrolled at least four months before being called to visit before the conscript councils and actually left to be incorporated into the army or navy operating before the date on which they would normally have passed the visit;
- Exempted by law from military service who, at least five months before November 4, 1918, spontaneously renounced the dispensation to be incorporated into the operating army or navy;
The fallen, the wounded in combat and those decorated with the military Order of Savoy or the value for war actions carried out during the voluntary service, were entitled to the medal even if the service itself had started within a time limit lower than those indicated above. With art. 4 of the Royal Decree n. 1529 of 1925 merit was also granted to maritime members who had sailed on merchant steamers without having military service obligations and who had obtained the War Merit Cross or were in the conditions to obtain it. With RD n. 2127 of 1925, the eligibility criteria were regulated in a more detailed manner and the exclusion from the granting of those who, despite possessing the qualifications, were deemed, in the opinion of the competent issuing authorities, unworthy to boast of them for having in the meantime he received criminal convictions or for serious moral reasons.
The same medal was later issued for the Second World War and for a number of colonial wars. It was abolished in 2010.
The Medal for the War Volunteer 1915-1918 Design
The medal is circular. The obverse depicts the crowned head of “Italia” and the inscription “PER L’ITALIA” (or “For Italy“). The reverse bears a naked warrior bearing a shield and a veiled woman behind him. Around the rim of the medal is the inscription “VOLONTARIO DI GVERRA MCMXV-MCMXVIII” (“War volunteer” and the dates of the war).
The WW2 version of the medal has the dates 1936-1939 in Roman figures in the obverse, and the letters A.O.I (Africa Orientale Italiana, Italian East Africa) on the reverse. Many medals had no dates inscribed on them.
The ribbon is plain red.
