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| Service Medal of the Order of St John | |
|---|---|
| Type | Civil decoration |
| Eligibility | Those who have been affiliated with the Venerable Order of St John and its subsidiary institutions |
| Established | 1895 |
The Service Medal of the Order of St John is an award given to those that have provided a requisite number or years service to the Venerable Order of St John.[1] The creation of the award was first mentioned in the St John Ambulance Brigade General Regulations for 1895. In paragraph 11 of the regulations, it was stated that:
By command of HRH the Prince of Wales, Grand Prior of the Order, the Council of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in England intimate that Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to authorise the issue of Service Medals to reward Distinguished Services and to encourage efficiency and long service in the various Departments of the Order.[2]
After this first mention, there was appears to have been a great deal of deliberation regarding the design of the award and eligibility of recipients. The first recipients were chosen in 1898, but the award was not actually made until 1899.[1]
Description
The Medal is suspended from a ribbon that is 1.5 inches wide with five equally spaced stripes, of black and white. The medal itself is made cupro-nickel that has been rhodium plated.[2] It has the head of Queen Victoria on the obverse facing right surrounded with the inscription VICTORIA+D+G+BRITT+REG+F+D+IND+IMP.
The reverse has five equally sized circles in a cross holding individual heraldic icons supported by sprawling St John's Wort. These are the St Edward’s Crown, the shield of Great Britain, two icons of the Order of St John in England, and the cipher bearing the feathers of the Price of Wales. It is surrounded by the inscription MAGNUS·PRIORATUS·ORDINIS·HOSPITALIS·SANCTI·JOHANNIS·JERUSALEM·IN·ANGLIA (Grand Priory of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in England). The Service Medal is the only British medal to retain the head of Queen Victoria on a current issue.[2]
Bars and laurel leaves can be added to the ribbon of the medal to indicate further service beyong the initial requirements for the award.[1]
Qualifications
The medal is the service medal of the Order of St John and throughout its history it has been awarded for conspicuous service of different kinds to the Order and not merely for length of service.[1] Its usual use, however, is to reward extended service in St. John Ambulance or in the Order of St John and the normal qualification was 15 years efficient service in the United Kingdom and 12 years in the Priories of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. In any other overseas territory it is 10 years. The qualification period in the UK was reduced to 12 years in 1990.[3]
In precedence, the Service Medal is worn after the Solomon Islands Independence Medal and before the Badge of the Order of the League of Mercy.[4]