The Imperial Service Medal

I thought I'd strike while the iron's hot, so here's a rundown of my Imperial Service Medal (ISM) collection. In my opinion, the ISM is a very underrated medal, and is easy to collect as there are a number of varieties issued and they can all be obtained at very low prices.

By way of background, the ISM was instituted in August 1902 by King Edward VII to reward 25 years of long service in the junior grades of the Imperial Civil Service throughout the British Empire. For more senior officials, the much rarer Imperial Service Order was instituted at the same time. It was normally awarded upon retirement.

When first designed, the ISO and ISM were of very similar design, being a seven-pointed star upon which was a circular plaque with the royal cypher in the centre and the words 'For Faithful Service' surrounding it. Atop the star was an Imperial crown. For the ISO, the centre was gold and the star silver; for the ISM the centre was silver and the star bronze. For women, the ISO star was replaced by a laurel wreath design. The ribbon for all grades was three equal sections of crimson, blue, and crimson.

Based on the information in the Medal Yearbook, about 4,500 ISMs were issued during the reign of Edward VII. These were all of the star design. During the reign of George V, the star design continued from 1911 to 1920, with about 6,000 issued.

In 1920, the ISM was redesigned into a more conventional circular design, with the sovereign's effigy on the obverse and the reverse design featuring a wonderful image of a naked worker resting from his labours. In the exergue were the words 'For Faithful Service'. The original George V circular design bore the uncrowned image of the King and was issued from 1920 to 1931. Approximately 20,000 of this design were issued.

Reverse of the circular version, showing an image of a naked man resting from his labours.

Close-up of the naming on a typical ISM

In 1931, the design was again altered, with the obverse now featuring the crowned portrait of the King. Approximately 16,000 were issued until the change of monarch in 1937.

With the reign of George VI, the ISM was issued with his effigy on the obverse with the legend including 'INDIAE:IMP' (short for Indiae Imperator - Emperor of India). This was in use from 1938 to 1948, when India left the Empire. Approximately 36,000 of this type were issued.

Once George VI was no longer Emperor of India, the legend on the obverse changed to one omitting 'INDIAE:IMP'. This version was issued from 1948 to 1952, and approximately 16,000 were awarded.

When our current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, ascended to the throne in 1953, another version was issued with her effigy on the obverse. About 9,000 were issued with the legend 'BRITT:OMN' (Brittania Omnia - [Queen of] All of Britain) before the design was again changed.

In 1955 the current design was instituted bearing the legend 'DEI:GRATIA' (By the Grace of God). So far, over 150,000 have been issued. There was an abeyance of awards from about 1992 until 2014 when a batch was awarded for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It is not known if any further awards will be made.

So now on to the collection itself!

Each of the eight versions mentioned above is represented. They were awarded to the following (left to right, top to bottom):

1. Edward VII star type: David JONES, Postman, Aberystwyth
2. George V star type: William GRIST, Stoker, Victoria Yard, Deptford
3. George V uncrowned type: Charles ALEXANDER, Postman, Blandford
4. George V crowned type: William AINSLEY (Sorting Clerk & Telegraphist, York, Home Civil Service
5. George VI Indiae type: Alfred William COLLINSON, Postman, General Post Office
6. George VI Fid:Def type: Richard Archibald WADGE, Engine Fitter, HM Dockyard Portsmouth
7. Elizabeth II Britt:Omn type: Percy Walter LOCK, Storehouse Assistant, RN Armaments Depot, Priddy's Hard
8. Elizabeth II Dei:Gratia type: Shrubland Frank MABEY, Postman Higher Grade, General Post Office

All the medals are named to the recipients, the stars being engraved and the medals being impressed in capitals. All awards are also mentioned the London Gazette, and this makes them a bit easier to research. Research can be made much easier if they have an unusual name, like Shrubland MABEY. If their name is like David JONES, then you might have a bit more trouble.

All awards were mentioned in the London Gazette, so some research should hopefully be possible

As I've said, the ISM is an underrated medal. It's an attractive design, reasonably easy to obtain, well priced, comes in several varieties, and is highly researchable. This makes it perfect for beginner collectors, and more experienced collectors will enjoy the research opportunities and the ability to 'graduate' on to the ISO varieties, which are very much rarer.

And finally, the medals were well earned. To qualify you had to serve at least 25 years - a quarter of a century - in the civil service, and you were generally given it only on retirement. It was freely awarded to women as well as men, and awarded to administrations throughout the Empire. For many recipients it was the only medal they ever received and was a treasured memento of their service. Indeed, for their 'Faithful Service'.

For now, the future of the medal (and the Order) seem uncertain. I really hope it continues as it's important to reward those 'unsung heroes', the faithful public servants who keep things running smoothly behind the scenes and out of the limelight.