Physical Description

A circular medal constructed of bronze, the obverse bears the image of General Joffre, with foliage in the background, with the inscription A JOFFRE LES CATALANS, the reverse bears a diamond with vertical stripes with oak and laurel leaves, with the inscription JOURNEE CATALANE 12 NOVEMBRE 1916, on a red and yellow striped ribbon.

History

The General Joffre Medal was established in 1916 as Catalanist propaganda, as the Catalanists viewed Joffre as a national hero due to his Catalanist background.

General Joseph Joffre was born on January 12, 1852 in Rivesaltes in Northern Catalonia. In 1870, he entered the École Polytechnique and became a career officer. He served as a junior artillery officer during the Siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War. After the Franco-Prussian War, Joffre returned to the École Polytechnique for further training then transferred to the engineer sector. Afterwards he served in the French colonies as a military engineer. He earned distinction in the Sin-French War. He led a mission from Segou to Timbuktu where he recovered the remains of Lieutenant Colonel Eugene Bonnier, who had been killed in a previous mission. He received a promotion for his efforts. He was promoted again in Madagascar to Général de brigade.

Before World War I, Joffre continued to move up in rank and was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the French Army in 1911. During World War I, Joffre regrouped the allies armies after retreating at the First Battle of the Marne in September 1914. With this success Joffre gained confidence from his colleagues and other countries. His reputation quickly disintegrated after unsuccessful offensives in 1915, the long lasting German attack on Verdun and the disappointing results of the Battle of the Somme fought alongside the British Forces in 1916. Despite this, Joffre was promoted to Marshal of France at the end of 1916. He quickly resigned from the position as it did not match the description he had been told previously about the position.

In 1917, he set sail for the United States where he encouraged a separate American force upon the United States' entry into World War I. Afterwards, he toured the United States for a week and then returned to France. In 1918, he became the leader of the Supreme War Council and retired a year later. He was made a member of the Académie française upon his retirement. In 1920, he led the Jocs Florals in Barcelona - a Catalan literary competition.

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