Description:

This medal is struck in gold coloured cupro-nickel and gilded.  The obverse bears a newly designed crowned bust of Queen Elizabeth II looking towards the right with the inscription REGINA. FID. DEF. ELIZABETH. II. DEI. GRA.'.  The reverse has the Royal Shield surmounted by the Royal Crown with the years '1952' to the left and '2002' to the right.  The suspender is sweated to the medal and has a loop through which the ribbon passes.

Ribbon:

1.25" wide, blue with red edges and a central white stripe within which is a narrower red stripe.

Probably the most attractive jubilee medal ever awarded this award has been struck to commemorate the 50 years of Queen Elizabeth II as monarch.  All members of Her Majesty's armed forces, including the Royal Navy, Army, RAF, Territorial Army, Royal Naval Reserve, RAF Reserve and Royal Fleet Auxiliary who have completed 5 years or more service on or before 6th February 2002 have received this award.  The award also went to the emergency services (who originally were not eligible) including the Police, Special Constabulary, Fire Brigade, Reserve Fire Fighters, Royal National Life Boat personnel and ambulance personnel who completed the required 5 years of service before the above date.  Other recipients include certain members of the Royal Household Staff and some 46 bearers of the Victoria and George Crosses who are still alive today.  At the time of writing the medal is currently being issued but awards should be complete by December 2002 where some 366,000 are expected to be issued, the highest number for a jubilee medal in British history.

Originally the emergency services were not eligible for the medal despite them having always being awarded with past medals of this type (the reason was most likely due to cost and Government penny pinching).  However pressure from MP's, police and fire federations for the issue of this award to emergency service personnel was greatly helped by the tragic September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.  After this event the Government rightly recognised that the emergency services were 'front line' in the war against terror and should be included for this decoration particularly as so many of their US counterparts had died in the attack.

In keeping with previous coronation and jubilee medals the diameter of this medal is 32mm instead of the usual 36 for most awards.  The medal is issued in a small white cardboard box with the title 'THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN JUBILEE MEDAL 1952-2002' surmounted with the EIIR Cipher in gold lettering.  Also contained within the box is a certificate of authenticity from the Royal Mint and a short length of ribbon for the uniform.  The total cost of all these medals has been estimated at £7.8 Million.

The following people have been awarded medals at Wantage station:

The queens Jubilee medal 2002 – Sub o Whiting, Lff Mack, FF Banfield, FF P.Savage

Long service good conduct medal, LFF Mack, FF Banfield

Many thanks to all the crew at Chirk fire station andwww.BritishMilitaryMedals.co.uk  for this extremely interesting and useful information.