Prior the the Great War, battles and wars were remembered by places they were fought and who the protagonists were. Generals and Admirals were celebrated. The common serving soldier or sailor fighting and dying in these battles were largely forgotten. They were remembered as part of a regiment or ship unless they had performed a heroic feat.
When WW1 ended, much thought was given to how to mark the service offered by so many civilian soldiers. For the first time in military history, the war dead were being memorialised. This was a necessary step to begin the healing process for so many families who had lost loved ones. Those that served and survived also needed to be recognised and remembered.
Service medals were being struck, and artists were commissioned to design certificates of service in order to recognise those that had served their country during the war. Most of the allied countries produced these commemoration certificates.
I was commissioned to recreate the Cavaliere di Vittorio Veneto Diploma, issued by the Italian Government during the 1970’s. This certificate recognises the service of soldiers who fought in the 1918 battle against the Austrio-Hungarian Army. Recreating that certificate made me wonder if there was interest in restoring other similar certificates. These could then be customised to replace lost commemoration certificates.
Currently there are two certificates types available; the Cavaliere di Vittorio Veneto Diploma and Canadian Certificate. I have recreated them with as much care as possible. These certificates can be customised with a photograph of your ancestor and information about how and when they served their country.
I am working to recreate others, so please check back here from time to time to see updates.
I am also able to be commissioned to recreate certificates of any type. Please contact me here.
Each certificate costs either £10 for a high resolution JPEG.
They will be uploaded to my Compelling Photography Shootproof page, where the certificate can be reviewed before completing the purchase. Once payment is made you will be able to download the jpeg.
Please order your certificate using the form below: