The Queen's Medal for Chiefs is an award of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. The medal was established in 1920, during the colonial period. The medal was granted to the chiefs within the numerous African, Asian, American and Pacific colonies and mandated territories that made up the then very extensive British Empire. The medal is no longer awarded. Medals were struck bearing the effigies of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

, and

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. The earliest versions of the medal were worn on a silver chain. Later medals were suspended from a yellow ribbon with two white stripes for the gold medal and yellow with a single white center stripe for the silver medal.

Medal designs

In 1920, the medal was a silver oval 67 mm by 50.2 mm on a silver chain 78 cm in length. The links of the chain took the form of

Tudor rose The Tudor rose (sometimes called the Union rose) is the traditional floral heraldic badge, heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the House of Tudor, which united the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The Tudor ...

s, the royal monogram "GRI", and crowns. The design was by Sir

Bertram Mackennal Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal (12 June 186310 October 1931), usually known as Bertram Mackennal, was an Australian sculptor and medallist, most famous for designing the coinage and stamps bearing the likeness of George V. He signed his work "BM". ...

. On the

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...

was the effigy of the

King-Emperor A king-emperor (the female equivalent being queen-empress) is a sovereign ruler who is simultaneously a king of one territory and emperor of another. This title usually results from a merger of a royal and imperial crown, but recognises that the ...

George V surrounded by the inscription ''GEORGE V KING AND EMPEROR''. The reverse depicts a freighter and a battleship in a tropical port. In 1953 the medal was a silver oval 67.8 mm by 50 mm on a silver chain 82 cm in length. The links were in the form of Tudor roses, the royal monogram "EIIR", and crowns. The obverse bears the effigy of Elizabeth II by Cecil Thomas surrounded by the inscription ''QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND''. The reverse remained unchanged between versions. After 1953, the medals were hung from a yellow ribbon with white stripes. The medals followed the prior obverse and reverse designs but were of a smaller size, 49.9 mm by 33.9 mm. This medal was struck by the Royal Mint.

References

{{Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom Civil awards and decorations of the United Kingdom