Description:English bronze replica of a German medal, c.1915
Diameter 55mm
This is an anti-German propaganda medal. The obverse features the sinking of The Lusitania below the inscription 'KEINE BANN WARE', German for 'No Contraband'. The Lusitania is depicted as carrying war contraband such as guns and aeroplanes, which it did not actually carry.
The inscription underneath reads 'Der Grossdampfer/ Lusitania/ Durch Ein Deutsches/ Tauchboot Versenkt/ 5th Mai 1915', which is loosely translated as 'The Liner Lusitiania sunk by a German Submarine, 5th May 1915'. This date is incorrect, the Lusitania was actually sunk on the 7th May and the date is revised on later versions of the medal.
The reverse features the ticket office of the Cunard Line with passengers queueing and the figure of Death selling tickets. To the left a man is reading a newspaper bearing the words 'U-Boat Danger' and the inscription at the top of the medal reads 'GESCHAFT UBER ALLES', meaning 'Business Above All'. Both image and inscription are meant to highlight the Americans' awareness of the U-Boat threat and their willingness to travel by sea despite this, as well as the Cunard Line's thought for money over safety.
The figure in the top hat to the left is possibly that of the German Ambassador in the United States and Mexico, Count Johann-Heinrich von Bernstorff. He had put an advertisement warning of the U-Boat danger in the same newspaper that printed the Cunard Lines sailing schedule. At the base are the initials of the German designer of the original medal, Karl Goetz.