Australian Army Museum of Western Australia > Records

Medal - King George VI Coronation Medal

« Prev Item Next Item »

Overview

The King George VI Coronation Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. It is a circular, silver medal, 32mm in diameter. Featured on the obverse are the conjoined effigies of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, crowned and robed, facing left. The rim is not raised on this medal and there is no legend. The Royal Cypher "GRI" appears on the reverse, surmounted by a large crown, with the inscription "CROWNED / 12 MAY 1937" in two lines below the Royal Cypher. Around the rim of the medal is the inscription "GEORGE VI QVEEN ELIZABETH".
The garter-blue ribbon is 32 mm wide, with a 3 millimetres wide white band, a 2½ millimetres wide red band and a 1½ millimetres wide white band, repeated in reverse order and separated by an 18 millimetres wide garter-blue band. The medal was designed by Percy Metcalfe

Historical information

This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir of King George VI's coronation. It was awarded to the Royal Family and selected officers of state, officials and servants of the Royal Household, ministers, government officials, mayors, public servants, local government officials, and members of the navy, army, air force and police in Britain, her colonies and Dominions.
For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of the Commonwealth countries and Crown dependencies and possessions. 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 90,279 medals were awarded including:6,887 to Australians

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-99-353

Inscriptions and markings

The medal was awarded unnamed.

Contextual Information

Multiple examples of this medal are retained either singly or in groups as an ongoing commemoration of the service of Western Australians. Medals are displayed in context throughout the Museum. All medals are identified, archivally stored and those not on display are accessible and viewable with prior notice. As with all Royal Commemorative medals, an issue was made to living Victoria Cross recipients.

Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

Organisation Details
View Collection
Item Feedback