British War Medal 1939-45, Bevis Anael Shergold (nee Reid), Auxiliary Territorial Service

Circular, cupro-nickel campaign medal with, on the obverse, the crowned head of King George VI, designed by Percy Metcalfe, with the inscription, 'Georgivs VI D: G: BR: Omn: Rex et Indiae Imp:'; on the reverse, a lion standing on the body of a double-headed beast with the heads of a dragon and eagle, representing Germany and Japan, with the dates '1939' and '1945'. The reverse also bears the initials, 'ECRP', for the designer, Edward Carter Preston. The ribbon has a central narrow red stripe, flanked by narrow white stripes, broad red stripes at either edge with two intervening blue stripes.

Bevis Anael Shergold (nee Reid) was born in 1919 and was an accomplished track and field athlete by the time World War Two (1939-1945) broke out. In 1938 she participated in the European Athletics Championships in Vienna.

Reid joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1940. Her fluency in Italian was put to good use, and she served with the Intelligence Corps, working in Combined Detailed Interrogation Centres across Egypt, Algeria and Italy, translating prisoner of war interrogations.

After the War, Reid continued to compete in international athletics and represented Great Britain in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, throwing the discus and javelin. During her sporting career she won 20 Women's British Amateur Athletics Championship medals between 1938 and 1952, 14 of which were gold. She won the British Women's Championship for the shot put on eight occasions and the discus on five.

The British War Medal 1939-45 was awarded to all full time service personnel of the Commonwealth Armed Forces wherever their service during World War Two (1939-1945) was rendered, provided they had completed 28 days service between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945.

From a collection of badges and medals awarded to Bevis Shergold, Auxiliary Territorial Service.