Commemorative Medallion 1914-1918, issued to the next of kin of Private Percy Crofts Ottley, 14th Battalion, London Regiment (London Scottish)

Circular, bronze memorial plaque or medallion issued to the relatives of the 1.3 million Commonwealth service personnel killed during World War One (1914-1918).

Commonly known as the 'Dead Man's Penny', the plaque was designed by Edward Carter Preston (1885-1965) who was commissioned after winning a War Office competition. The figure of Britannia holds a trident while a lion, a symbol of Britain's strength, stands beside her. She gestures with an olive branch towards the soldier's name, held in a rectangular panel. The medal is inscribed, 'She Died for Freedom and Honour'. Dolphins on either side of the panel represent Britain's naval power and below the standing lion, another lion is shown pouncing on an eagle, symbolising Britain's victory over Germany.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records the death of Private Percy Crofts Ottley (service number 515413), on the 23 November 1917, aged 32, on the Cambrai Memorial at Louveral. Ottley was born in Ranskill, Nottinghamshire on 31 August 1885. Before the war Ottley was a bank clerk with Messrs Beckett and Company of Doncaster.