The bottom edge of the plaque is engraved “Tiffany & Co. Makers” and “18417 Sterling Silver.”
FOR SERVICE DURING WORLD WAR I
Figure 16.––Cup presented to the Honorable Brand Whitlock by the British Government. Gift of Mrs. Brand Whitlock. In Division of Political History. (Acc. 137815, cat. 40028; Smithsonian photo 45992-E.)
Of all the silver pieces in the collections of the National Museum that commemorate military prowess, the sole piece relating to World War I was presented to a man who achieved fame for his humanitarian service as a diplomat––the Honorable Brand Whitlock, who was appointed American Minister to Belgium in 1913. Whitlock came to the position with a distinguished record as four-time mayor of Toledo, Ohio, where his administration was noted for its reforms. He had insisted on a fair deal for the working man; he liberalized the administration of justice; he kept the city government free of graft; and he won a battle against the power of vested interests in the city.
After the invasion of Belgium in World War I, Whitlock remained at his post where he performed many services for the oppressed citizens. His presence in Brussels facilitated for both friend and foe the enormous task of organizing the distribution of food among the civilian population of Belgium and the occupied zone of France. In 1916 he chose to follow the Belgian Government into exile. His activities won him the lifelong affection and admiration of the people of Belgium, and after the war they showered him with evidences of their esteem. Among the many presentation medals, documents, and miscellaneous gifts that he received is a silver loving cup ([fig. 16]) from the British Government. On one side the cup bears the British coat of arms, and on the other side is inscribed:
Presented to Brand Whitlock by his Britannic Majesty’s Government, 11 November 1918.
The base is marked “C & Co.,” “130 Regent St., Carrington and Co., London W,” and “Copy of Antique Irish 1717, 66 × 13, P 6610, xy P d.”