RECORD MEDAL YEAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 168, 15 October 1941, Page 8

RECORD MEDAL YEAR

EXPECTED AT ROYAL MINT

London's Royal Mint expects to turn out more medals in the year fOlloAving the present war than at any period in its history: and in an average year it strikes some 34,000 of them and of decorations of all kinds. The Mint has been doing that continuously since 1643 when Charles I instituted the Forlorn Hope Badge.

Meamvhiie they are busy making not only the decorations awarded during the Avar to the fighting services but the George Crosses and George Medals iioav for the first time in history aAvarded for valour to civilians. It Avas the King himself who decided that the ribbon, which is blue, for the George Gross should be widened to the same length as that of the Victoria Gross. The monarch chooses all ribbons, and always has clone so. He is assisted by a committee to make sure that a design has not already been used either here »»r by a foreign poAver.

The rainbow hues of the Victory Medal ribbon, now familiar throughout the Eimpire, are the result of Uie deliberations of an intcr-allied committee aalio sat to think out n ribbon incorporating the colours of nil the allied nations concerned in the last war. After the South African AVar, it tvas King Edward VII himsell' who rlecidecl that the colours ci the Orange Free Stale should be these used for the King's Medal .