I have a wonderful bronze medal which commemorates several French battles in which the 371st Infantry fought from Sept. 28 - Oct. 1, 1918. One side has a stalking lion, a 371st shield, and the battle info. The other side has soldiers in battle. The sculptor was Jules-Prosper Legastelois. I have found out that the 371st was an African-American unit which fought with great valor with the French troops and was highly decorated. Can anyone tell me more about the nature of this medal, such as why it was produced, how many were produced, who it would have been given to, and what is the present value? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks. I can send images if anyone is interested. Fred Kelso
Sure Aidan. Here are the scans. I forgot to mention that the medal has its own little leather pouch with a snap closure. Fred
Fred,that is one of those private commemorative medals,which French & Belgian engravers are very well-known for.
Can you tell me if it would have been given to the members of the unit or sold to the public at large? Are there websites where I could find similar issues? Thanks.
Hi, I just joined the site and saw your medallion. The 371st as a unit in WWI that fought with the French 157th in the Argonne. They were from South Carolina, the French had the medallions made, one for each of the 3000+ members of the unit. I suppose that means there are 2999+ floating out there somewhere. I live in SC now and I was stationed at Fort Jackson, where the unit was trained.
There is a very detailed description about the medal, its design and the signficance of the imagery in a book written in 1929 by Chester D. Heywood entitled the Story of the 371st Infantry. Please e-mail me if you would like me to send you a copy of the full description.
Wow! Hello, I am still searching for this medallion/coin and I would really appreciate any information you can provide about it or locating a medallion. Yes I would love a copy of the documents you have. I am writing the history of the 371st to donate to the South Carolina Museum (home state of the 371st and Camp Jackson where they trained in 1918). I have one of the WWI unit guideons from the 371st and would love to add the medallion to the display for the museum so if anyone knows where I might find one I would appreciate it. Please contact me at katzpa92@hotmail.com . Thank you, Anne Clarkson
