Nursing medals
The Red Cross Societies have created a variety of badges and medals over the 20th century. Medals were given for long service, proficiency, merit or achievement. The Red Cross in Geneva issue the Royal Red Cross and the lesser Associate Royal Red Cross medals acknowledging nursing skill of military and civil nurses. The Hungarian Red Cross originated the rarely awarded and ornate Florence Nightingale Medal in 1907, which reads in Latin ‘for true compassion and loving kindness to humanity’.
Many nursing organisations were established to promote comradeship, welfare and professionalism. Prize medals were given for examination success, long service and special services to the community, such as the typhoid epidemic nursing medals shown here.
Religious orders have been involved in nursing and medicine for centuries. Several award medals are for special services, for example, the St John of Jerusalem Medal (instituted 1898) is awarded to those who have given ‘conspicuous service’ to the Order of St John of Jerusalem through the St John Ambulance Brigade or the St John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem.
Many nurses and volunteers have achieved medals during wars for their work. Medals won by nurses include the Military Medal (instituted 1916) for soldiers and women who were not officers who showed bravery on the field of battle. The bombing of UK cities during wartime created the need for civilian bravery awards. The George Cross and Medal (1940) replaced the earlier and similar Albert, Edward and Empire Gallantry medals by 1971.
Some medals were issued for more peaceful reasons. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire was started in 1916 by George V. Variations appear later as it was divided up to allow civil and military awards. The civil award included two classes of the Order of the British Empire for special service to the Empire: officer (OBE) and member (MBE). The Medal of the Order of the British Empire appeared in 1917 (silver disc and purple ribbon).