In early March, Her Majesty The Queen received the Order of St John’s service medal in gold. During an audience at Buckingham Palace, our Lord Prior, Mark Compton presented the first ever golden medal to the Queen, who is Sovereign Head of our Order.
The Service Medal of the Order is awarded to volunteers and other eligible persons who perform properly recorded qualifying service over a requisite period of years. It was first introduced in 1885 and is the only British medal currently in use that depicts the head of Queen Victoria.
The requisite qualifying period is 10 years. The gilt ultra long service medal replaces the silver service medal after 50 years of qualifying service.
Image © Yui Mok / PA Media
