The Warrior Merit Medal was issued around 1835 by King Friedrich Wilhelm III. The medal was awarded to non-Prussian soldiers, only. The first award took place in 1835 (assumed date of foundation) to the guard of honor of the castle in St. Petersburg, during the visit of the king. In the following years, the medal was usually awarded to Russian soldiers from the rank of sergeant downwards. This first type of the medal had on the back the cypher “FW III”. This design was coined in 2 types. The first coinage has a co-embossed eyelet and a coarser style, e.g. of the laurel wreath. The 2nd coinage is finer and has a soldered eyelet with ribbon ring. In 1872 the stamp of the reverse was changed and shows the cypher “WR” equal to the design with the military honor decoration 2nd class of 1864. From 1888, the medal was also awarded on the white-black ribbon for non-combatants. Furthermore, the medal was also used as an award for bravery in the colonies for colored soldiers and non-commissioned officers who fought on the German side. In the 1st World War, the medal was also awarded to allied soldiers because they were not eligible for the award of the Iron Cross.