ABSTRACT
The archaeology of twentieth-century conflict can seem very impersonal and detached, often involving the assessment of battlefields or military installations on the basis of standard criteria. By contrast, this chapter is very personal and highlights the significance of a single object – my grandfather’s Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) medal (Fig. 12.1) – to me, my grandfather and other members of my family. Although the medal is one of over 20 000 DFCs awarded in the Second World War (Litherland and Simpkin 1990: 54) it is important to my family and to me because of its strong association with the life of my grandfather. By charting the biography of the medal this chapter will recount how the medal has become a vehicle for remembrance and reminiscence and how it has become so firmly tied to the life and experiences of my grandfather during the Second World War.
