Discharge badge, Frank Stupple, 9th (County of London) Battalion London Regiment, 1918

Silver, open-work badge with royal cypher, 'GRI', surmounted by crown within a circlet bearing the inscription, 'For King and Empire Services Rendered'. Impressed on the back with the serial number 'B284564'.

Also known as the Silver War Badge, these badges were awarded to servicemen who were discharged from the military during World War One (1914-1918) as unfit due to wounds or sickness. The badge and certificate allowed non-uniformed men to prove they were not avoiding military service and thus prevented harassment by pro-war members of the public or other military personnel.

During World War One (1914-1918), Frank Stupple enlisted in May 1915 and fought at Gommecourt on the Somme in 1916. He received a slight gunshot wound to the right arm and was admitted to No 26 General Hospital, Etaples, France, on 15 April 1917. No longer physically fit for war service, Stupple was discharged in April 1918.