Offered is an original Southern Railway Centre of St. John Ambulance Association 7 year Service Medal.
35mm wide circular chocolate bronze medal with loop for ribbon suspension; the face with the logo of the Southern Railway to the left and to the right the emblem of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (Order of St. John), being a Maltese cross, plain for the heraldic colour argent (white) with a lion between the arms upper left and lower right and a unicorn between the arms lower left and upper right, all on a hatched ground for the heraldic colour sable (black), a double scroll above and below, all within three ribbons inscribed ‘SOUTHERN RAILWAY’ (above), ‘CENTRE OF ST.JOHN (lower left) and ‘AMBULANCE ASSCN’ (lower right); the reverse engraved with the attribution FREDERICK DARVII.I.1939 within a laurel wreath; on original ribbon with chocolate bronze top bar, the face inscribed ‘7 YEARS’, the reverse with pin for wear; in original case of issue by John Taylor & Co. of London.
St. John Ambulance was founded in 1877 as a subsidiary charity of the Venerable Order of St. John to train ordinary members of the public in first aid to treat the victims of the then frequent accidents in the workplace and also at events. The four big railway companies that emerged from the reorganisation of 1923 were all keen promoters of the St. John Ambulance Association within their companies in order to have resources on hand in case of accidents.
