First World War 1914-1918 British War Medal - Unnamed

The British War Medal 1914-20 was instituted by King George V in 1919 to mark the end of World War I and record the service given. The silver medal was awarded to officers and men of the British and Imperial Forces who either entered a theatre of war (an area of active fighting) or served overseas (perhaps as a garrison soldier) between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918 inclusive. This was later extended to services in Russia, Siberia and some other areas in 1919 and 1920.
The ribbon that would have originally been with the medal had a central band of orange edged with white, black and blue lines and although many other medal ribbons symbolise something, it seems that the colour and pattern of the British War Medal ribbon has no special significance. The recipient's service number, rank, name and unit would have been inscribed on the rim of the medal.
The only medal that could be awarded on its own was the British War Medal. Approximately 6.4 million of these medals were issued, giving some indication of the scale of the First World War. In addition, around 110,000 bronze versions were issued, mainly to members of the Chinese, Maltese, Indian, and South African Native Labour Corps.