[medallion] 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 (more strictly described as plaquettes) were made of bronze, and hence popularly known as the `Dead Man’s Penny`, because of the similarity in appearance to... Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Plaque_(medallion)