Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal

Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal

Diamond Jubilee Medal in silver
Medal awarded to Mayors and Provosts in silver
Awarded by United Kingdom
Eligibility Members of the Royal Family, Royal Household, officials, colonial and foreign representatives. Members of the naval, military and colonial contingents attending the Jubilee.[1]
Awarded for Participation in Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee
Statistics
Established 1897
Precedence
Next (lower) Queen Victoria’s Commemoration Medal, 1900 (Ireland)[2]
Related Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee Medal
Queen Victoria Police Jubilee Medal

1897 clasp for the Golden Jubilee Medal in silver


Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon

Ribbon of medal to Mayors and Provosts

The Diamond Jubilee Medal was instituted in 1897 by Royal Warrant as a British decoration. The medal was awarded to members of the Royal Family and the court, guests and dignitaries present at the celebrations of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee and to selected soldiers and sailors who formed the jubilee parade in London.[1][3]

The Medal followed the Golden Jubilee Medal, issued ten years previously, both in terms of design and award criteria, with those qualifying for both medals receiving a ribbon clasp in lieu of a second medal.

Issue

The medal was awarded to those involved in the official celebrations of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee, including members of the Royal Family, Royal Household and government officials, as well as Envoys, Foreign Ambassadors and Colonial Prime Ministers. Military recipients included selected officers, sailors and soldiers of the Royal Navy and Army, and the Indian and colonial contingents, that participated in jubilee activities, including the London procession in which the Queen took part.[1] [4]

Different versions

Three types of medal were awarded:

  • Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Medal. Awarded in gold to members of the Royal Family (73 awarded), silver to officers and those of similar status (3,040 awarded), and bronze to selected other ranks who took part in the jubilee parade (890 awarded).[4]
  • A special diamond shaped medal for mayors and provosts, presented in gold to lord mayors and lord provosts (14 awarded) and silver to mayors and provosts (512 awarded) from across the United Kingdom.[1][4][5]
  • A Police Diamond Jubilee Medal of a different design was awarded to those on duty during the jubilee celebrations,(10,086 awarded).[5] Please see separate article.

Other members of the Commonwealth struck their own versions of the medal, albeit not officially sanctioned for wear. The Government of Ceylon in particular is notable for the medals they struck in 14-carat gold and silver, awarded to senior members of government and local officials.[6]

Description

The Diamond Jubilee Medal followed the design of Golden Jubilee Medal. It measures 30 millimetres (1.2 in) in diameter. On the obverse Queen Victoria is depicted crowned and wearing a veil which falls over the back of the head and neck, with the text VICTORIA D.G. REGINA ET IMPERATRIX F.D.. The reverse bears the words IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 60TH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA · 20 JUNE 1897 within a garland of roses, shamrock and thistles. The medal was designed by Clemens Emptmayer, with the portrait of Queen Victoria based on a design by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm.[4] The ribbon is garter blue with wide white stripes towards each edge. Holders of the 1887 medal who qualified were awarded a bar inscribed '1897' and surmounted by a crown, to be attached to the ribbon of the existing medal.[4]

The medal for mayors and provosts is a lozenge, 40 by 48 millimetres (1.6 in × 1.9 in), bearing a trefoil pattern, with a circular centre that depicts the portrait of the older Queen on the obverse, with the young Queen on the reverse.[4] The ribbon follows that of the standard medal, with the colours reversed.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "No. 26947". The London Gazette. 14 March 1898. p. 1692.
  2. ↑ "No. 56878". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 March 2003. p. 3352.
  3. ↑ "Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee". The Open University. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Howard N Cole. Coronation and Royal Commemorative Medals. pp. 11 to 15. Published J. B. Hayward & Son, London. 1977.
  5. 1 2 John W. Mussell, editor. Medal Yearbook 2015. pp. 280–281Published Token Publishing Limited, Honiton, Devon. 2015.
  6. ↑ McCreery, Christopher (2012). Commemorative Medals of The Queen's Reign in Canada, 1952-2012. Toronto, ON: Dundurn. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4597-0757-3. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
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