Historical information

Information from "The AIF Project"
Lieutenant Reginald Frank Barratt was born in 1879 in Withington, Manchester, Lancashire, England.
Regimental number 2166.
3rd Field Artillery Brigade, Military District 3 and Military District 6.
Arrived in Australia in 1903 aged 24.
Address was Mount Street, Heidelberg, Victoria.
Occupation - Farmer.
Enlistment date was 17th August 1914.
Served with the 68 Battery Royal Field Artillery during the South African War.
Rank on enlistment was Sergeant.
Embarkation details - Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on board Transport A2 Geelong on 19th September 1914.
Rank Lieutenant - Unit 1st Divisional Ammunition Column.

Information from the Roll of Honour -
Awarded Royal Human Society Medal for saving three lives from drowning in Orange River during South African War.
Wounded at Zillebeke, near Ypres, Belgium.
Died of wounds 22nd August 1917 at the age of 38. Buried at Bedford House Cemetery, Enclosure No 2, (Plot 1, R0w F, Grave 23), Zillebeke, Belgium.
Panel number , Roll of Honour Australian War Memorial

Physical description

British War Medal - The medal was struck by the Royal Mint, is a silver disc 36mm in diameter with a straight clasp suspended without swivel. The obverse shows Sir Bertram Mackennal's bare headed effigy of King George V facing left with the legend 'GEORGIVS V BRITT:OMN:REX ET IND:IMD - "George V, King of all the British Isles & Emperor of India". The reverse, designed by William McMillan, shows St George, naked on horseback and armed with a short sword, an allegory of the physical & mental strength which achieved victory of Prussianism. The horse tramples on the Prussian eagle shield and the emblems of death, a skull and cross bones. In the background are ocean waves and just off centre near the right upper time is the risen sun of victory. The years 1914-1918 appear on the perimeter in the left and right fields respectively. The watered silk ribbon is 32mm wide with 3mm wide royal blue band, 2mm wide black band, 3mm wide white band repeated in reverse order and separated by 16mm wide orange band.

Victory Medal - The medal is bronze disc 36mm in diameter with a winged figure of Victory on the obverse. The reverse has the words 'THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILIZATION 1914-1918', all surrounded by a laurel leaf. The watered silk ribbon is 32mm wided has two rainbow design with the violet from each rainbow on the outside edges, moving through to a central red stripe where both rainbows meet.

Inscriptions & markings

The recipients name, rank and unit are impressed on the bottom edge of the medals - Lieut F Barratt AIF