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British-made replica of medal struck in Germany to commemorate the sinking of the Lusitania. With original box and leaflet. The obverse shows the sinking ship. The reverse shows passengers queuing to buy tickets from the figure of Death at the booking office of the Cunard Line, a man reads a newspaper with the headline: U BOOT GEFAHR (U boat danger).

On 7 May 1915, the British ocean liner the Lusitania was struck by a German torpedo off the Irish coast, on her homeward voyage across the Atlantic from New York to Liverpool. She sank within twenty minutes. 1,198 of the 1,959 passengers aboard, including children and crew, perished. This was seen as a ‘German crime against humanity’, and a verdict of ‘wilful and wholesale murder’ was pronounced against Kaiser Wilhelm II and his government.

This medal was an example of anti-German propaganda in Britain during the war. The British-made replicas were sold at a shilling each in a presentation box. The proceeds were donated to the St Dunstan's Hostel for Blinded Soldiers and Sailors, and the British Red Cross Society.