The King George V Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal instituted in 1911 to celebrate the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

, that took place on 22 June 1911.

Award

It was the first British Royal commemorative medal to be awarded to people who were not in attendance at the coronation and, as well of those involved in the ceremony, it was given to selected dignitaries, officials and members of the armed forces, both in Britain and across the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

. On 30 June 1911 a special ceremony was held in the grounds of

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

for King George V to present medals to all members of the Colonial and Indian contingents who had represented the overseas troops in the Coronation procession. The ceremony lasted two hours, medals being handed by the King to each of the 300 recipients present. For this and subsequent Coronation and Jubilee medals until 1977, the practice was that the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of the

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

, the Crown dependencies and the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

countries. The award of the medals was then at the discretion of the local government authority, who were free to decide who would be awarded a medal and why. A total of 15,901 medals were awarded, including 286 to Australians. The medal was worn on the left breast with other coronation and jubilee medals. These were worn before campaign medals until November 1918, after which the order of wear was changed, with such commemorative medals now worn after campaign medals and before long service awards. Ladies could wear the medal near their left shoulder with the ribbon tied in the form of a bow. Recipients who were also eligible for the 1911

Delhi Durbar Medal Delhi Durbar Medals were instituted by the British Raj, United Kingdom to commemorate the Delhi Durbar where the new Emperor of India was proclaimed, in 1903 for Edward VII, and in Delhi Durbar Medal (1911), 1911 for George V. On both occasions t ...

received the Coronation medal only, and wore a crowned clasp inscribed 'DELHI' on the ribbon. In addition, a Police Coronation Medal, of a different design and ribbon, was awarded to police officers on duty during the official Coronation celebrations.

Description

* The medal was designed by the Australian sculptor

Bertram Mackennal Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal (12 June 186310 October 1931), usually known as Bertram Mackennal, was an Australian sculptor and medallist, most famous for designing the coinage and stamps bearing the likeness of George V. He signed his work "BM". ...

. * All awards were in silver, the medal being in diameter. * The obverse has a profile of King George V and his wife Queen Mary in coronation robes, facing left. * The reverse has the crowned Royal Cypher above the date of the coronation, 22 June 1911. * The wide ribbon is dark blue with two thin red stripes in its centre. Awards to ladies have the ribbon in the form of a bow. ** The ribbon for the police version of the medal is red with three narrow blue stripes. * The medal was awarded unnamed.

References

External links

ODM of the United Kingdom - ribbon chart
{{South African military decorations and medals Civil awards and decorations of Australia Awards and decorations of Ceylon Civil awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Military decorations and medals of South Africa George V 1911 establishments in the United Kingdom Awards established in 1911