Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal

The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953.

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
Obverse and reverse of medal
TypeCommemoration medal
Awarded forCommunity contribution
Presented bythe Monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms
EligibilityCommonwealth citizens
Established2 June 1953
Total129,051
Ribbon bar
RelatedSilver Jubilee Medal,
Golden Jubilee Medal,
Diamond Jubilee Medal

Award

This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir from the Queen to members of the Royal Family and selected officers of state, members of the Royal Household, government officials, mayors, public servants, local government officials, members of the navy, army, air force and police in Britain, her colonies and Dominions. It was also awarded to members of the Mount Everest expedition, two of whom reached the summit four days before the coronation.[1] It was struck at the Royal Mint and issued immediately after the coronation.[2]

For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that the authorities in the United Kingdom decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of the Commonwealth countries and Crown dependencies and other possessions of the Crown. The award of the medals was then at the discretion of the government of each territory, which was left free to decide who was to be awarded a medal and why.[3]

A total of 129,051 medals were awarded,[4] including:

  • 11,561 to Australians.
  • 12,500 to Canadians.[5]

Description
Medal with rim impressed: Mount Everest Expedition

The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal is a silver disk, 1.25 inches in diameter. The obverse features a crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, facing right, in a high-collared ermine cloak and wearing the collar of the Garter and Badge of the Bath. There is no raised rim and no legend.

The reverse shows the Royal Cypher "EIIR", surmounted by a large crown. The legend around the edge reads "QUEEN ELIZABETH II CROWNED 2nd JUNE 1953". The medal was designed by Cecil Thomas.[6]

The dark red ribbon is 1.25 inches (32 mm) wide, with 5⁄64 inch (2 mm) wide white edges and two narrow dark blue stripes in the centre, each 5⁄64 inch (2 mm) wide and 1⁄16 inch (1.6 mm) apart.

Ladies who were awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, can wear it on their left shoulder with the ribbon tied in the form of a bow.[2]

The medals were issued unnamed, except for the 37 issued to the British Mount Everest Expedition. These were engraved "MOUNT EVEREST EXPEDITION" on the rim.[1]

Precedence by country

Some orders of precedence are as follows:

CountryPrecedingFollowing
Australia
Order of precedence[7]		King George VI Coronation MedalQueen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
New Zealand
Order of precedence[8]		King George VI Coronation MedalQueen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
South Africa
Order of precedence[9]		Tshumelo Ikatelaho - General Service MedalIndependence Medal (Transkei)
Sri Lanka
Order of precedence		50th Anniversary Medals (Army) (Navy) (Air Force)Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal
United Kingdom
Order of precedence[10]		King George VI Coronation MedalQueen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal

Notable recipients

New Zealand

The following list includes notable New Zealanders who received the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal,[11] and is not an exhaustive list of recipients.

See also

References
  1. Captain H. Taprell Dorling. Ribbons and Medals. p. 113. Published A.H.Baldwin & Sons, London. 1956.
  2. Howard N Cole. Coronation and Royal Commemorative Medals. p. 49. Published J. B. Hayward & Son, London. 1977.
  3. New Zealand Defence Force - British Commonwealth Jubilee And Coronation Medals - The Coronation Medal 1953 Archived 23 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 5 May 2015)
  4. Howard N Cole. Coronation and Royal Commemorative Medals. p. 49. Published J. B. Hayward & Son, London, 1977. Cole states 129,051 medals were struck, citing 84th Annual report of the Deputy Master and Comptroller of the Royal Mint, 1953 (HMSO 1955).
  5. Veterans Affairs Canada - Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953) (Accessed 5 May 2015)
  6. "Cecil Walter Thomas OBE, FRBS". Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland–1951. University of Glasgow. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  7. "The Order of Wearing Australian Honours and Awards" (PDF). Government House. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 February 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  8. "Order of Wear: Orders, Decorations and Medals in New Zealand". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  9. Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, OCLC 72827981
  10. "No. 56878". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 March 2003. p. 3352.
  11. Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
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