Images(3)

Box

Object number2007.178.22 a,b

Manufacturer The D. L. Auld Company

Date1946

MediumCardboard; paper; ink

Credit LineGift of Joe Davis

DescriptionWorld War II Victory Medal box comprised of box lid and box bottom. Box is made of blue waxy paper-covered rectangular cardboard top. Lid has two half-circles on long sides for lifting. On front of lid is white rectangular label with blue typed product and maker information. Dimensions(a) Width: 2.3125 ; Length: 4.0625
(b) W: 2.125; L: 3.875
Marks(a)
On front, white rectangular label with blue type: "MEDAL, CAMPAIGN AND SERVICE / VICTORY WORLD WAR II / Stock No. 71-M-945 / Spec. No. 112D / The D. L. Auld Company / P.O. 5395---21 June 1946 Q.M.P.O."
Historical NotesThis box most likely contained one of the World War II Victory medals (2007.178.18 or 2007.178.19), belonging to Arnold Herbert Smith, who served in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War. Arnold Herbert Smith was a Pittsburgh police officer before spending twelve years with the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Police Force. Arnold Herbert Smith, Sr., was born on October 11, 1923, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Schenley High School in 1942, and quickly enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving in the Pacific Theater. Three years later he married Mattie Lesesne; four children were born to this marriage. Years after his divorce to Mattie, he married Estella Pennington, with whom he had one son. Smith worked as a steelworker before joining the Pittsburgh Police Force in 1974; he eventually worked for the Housing Authority before retiring in 1986. Smith was also active in organizations, being a 32nd Degree Mason, a Shriner, and a member of both the Veterans of Foreign Affairs and the Fraternal Order of Police. He died September 19, 1999. The World War II Victory Medal was first issued as a ribbon, and was referred to simply as the "Victory Ribbon." By 1946, a full medal had been established which was referred to as the World War II Victory Medal. The medal's front depicts Nike standing victorious, holding a broken sword, representing the broken power of the Axis, and one foot upon the helmet of Mars, the God of War, representing the end of the conflict. Behind Nike is a sunburst, representing the dawn of peace. The reverse recalls the "Four Freedoms" speech by President Roosevelt, with a laurel sprig, surrounded by the words "United States of America," and the dates of the conflict. The edges of the ribbon revisit the multi-colored rainbow ribbon of the WWI Victory Medal. This again honors all the allied nations. The wide red center represents the new sacrifice of blood by WWII combatants. The thin white lines separating the central red band from the outer multi-colored bands represent the rays of new hope, two of them signifying that this was the second global conflict.

Previous owner Arnold Herbert Smith Sr. (1923 - 1999)

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