Name/Title
Commemorative Medal "To a Participant of the National-Revolutionary War in Spain 1936–1939" (Soviet Committee of War Veterans) — awarded to Theodore E. VeltfortEntry/Object ID
2025.2.20Description
Pin-back suspension medal in two joined parts. The upper element is an inverted-triangle (apex-down) suspension filled with glossy red enamel in a plain metal frame, with a reverse brooch pin; a loop and ring link it to the medallion. The circular medallion depicts a wireframe globe (meridians and parallels) in silver-tone metal over which is superimposed, in high relief, the three-pointed/three-rayed star emblem of the International Brigades; at the upper right, a small red enamel five-pointed star bearing a silver hammer and sickle (the Soviet emblem). The obverse carries no legend. The reverse is smooth with a five-line inscription naming the award.Use
Awarded to Ted Veltfort. Preserved by Anna Veltfort.Context
The medal was instituted by the Soviet Committee of War Veterans (Sovetskii Komitet Veteranov Voiny, SKVV) to honor veterans of the foreign volunteer effort in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 — the conflict known in Soviet/communist historiography as the "National-Revolutionary War of the Spanish People." The globe signifies internationalism; the three-pointed star is the International Brigades' own emblem; the hammer-and-sickle star marks the Soviet veterans'-committee sponsorship. The recipient here, Theodore Ernest "Ted" Veltfort, Jr. (b. 29 February 1915, Cambridge, Massachusetts; d. 7 April 2008), volunteered for the Spanish Republic and drove ambulances with the American (Abraham Lincoln) contingent of the XV International Brigade, arriving in Spain on 4 July 1937 and serving on the Aragón front, at Teruel, and in the 1938 campaigns. Blacklisted in the United States during the McCarthy era, he later relocated to work in the electronics industry in revolutionary Cuba — the connection that places his medal within the Cuba Material collection. Veltfort lived in Cuba when he received the medal.Collection
Anna Veltfort collection, Ted Veltfort collectionAcquisition
Accession
2025.2Source or Donor
Anna VeltfortAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Manufacturer
Soviet Committee of War VeteransTime Period
1960sPlace
Country
U.S.S.R.Region
Eastern EuropeContinent
EuropeNotes
Issuer/Attribution: Soviet Committee of War Veterans (SKVV), USSR. Designer/mint not named in the source.
Date: circa 1960s — issued during the SKVV chairmanship of Marshal S. K. Timoshenko (1961–1970), plausibly for a 30th-anniversary observance of the war (tentative as to exact year).Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
InscriptionLocation
backTranscription
Участнику национально-революционной войны в Испании 1936 · 1939Language
RussianTranslation
Participant National Revolutionary War in Spain 1936–1939Notes
No legend on the obverse. Reverse carries a five-line inscription: "Участнику национально-революционной войны в Испании 1936 · 1939" ("To a Participant of the National-Revolutionary War in Spain 1936–1939").Parts
Two permanently joined components: enamel triangular suspension (with reverse brooch pin) and circular hanging medallion, linked by loop and ring.Materials
Material
MetalMaterial Notes
Stamped/cast light metal (aluminum or silvered alloy) with red vitreous enamel on the suspension and the small Soviet star; silver-tone hammer and sickle.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Anna VeltfortNotes
keeperPerson or Organization
Theodore Ernest VeltfortNotes
recipientPerson or Organization
Abraham Lincoln BrigadePerson or Organization
Soviet Committee of War VeteransRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
preservationPlace
City
New York CityState/Province
New YorkCountry
U.S.A.Continent
North AmericaNotes
preservationResearch Notes
Notes
Whether the medal was presented to Theodore Veltfort in Cuba or the USSR is not established.Created By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
March 31, 2022Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 18, 2026