The Memorial Plaque was issued after the First World War to the next-of-kin of all British and Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war.
The plaques (which could be described as large plaquettes) were made of bronze, and hence popularly known as the "Dead Man’s Penny", because of the similarity in appearance to the somewhat smaller penny coin.
1,355,000 plaques were issued, which used a total of 450 tonnes of bronze,and continued to be issued into the 1930s to commemorate people who died as a consequence of the war.
Last year some of our Year 5 children entered a competition to design some 'Dead Man's Pennies' to be displayed in the new Woolwich Arsenal Crossrail station. Twelve of the children's designed have been chosen, which is a fantastic achievement.
Their designs have been created by a local artist and can be viewed once the station opens in 2018.
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