Croix de Guerre 1914-18 with Bronze Palm awarded to Vice-Admiral George Ronald Blount.

George Ronald Blount was born in 1877 and entered the Royal Navy in 1892. By 1912 he had been promoted to Commander and during World War I served in HMS ‘Revenge’ and on the staff of Vice-Admiral Dover, 1914-15. He was promoted to Captain in 1917 and was in command of the monitor HMS ‘Marshall Soult’ taking part in the bombardment of Zeebrugge, 11 May 1917; Ostend, 4 September 1917 and enemy batteries on the Belgian Coast, 18 May 1918. During her service she was frequently attacked by enemy aircraft but sustained no damage or casualties. Blount was promoted to Rear-Admiral and retired at his own request in 1928. He was promoted to Vice-Admiral on the retired list in 1933. Vice-Admiral Blount died in 1964.

The medal is in the form of a bronze cross pattée superimposed on two crossed swords. The central medallion on the obverse bears the symbolic head of the Republic (Marianne) encircled by the inscription: ‘REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE’. Inscribed on the reverse is ‘1914’ and ‘1917’. The medal is suspended from a watered silk ribbon, green with narrow red edges and five narrow vertical stripes, to which a bronze palm is attached. It is mounted on a bar with five other medals awarded to Vice-Admiral Blount and held by the Museum: 1914-15 Star (MED1106), British War Medal (MED1107), Victory Medal (MED1108), Order of Leopold, 4th Class (MED1109) and Distinguished Service Order (MED1105).