History

The Edward Medal was established in 1907 and amended in 1909. It continued to be awarded until 1971 when its recipients were invited to exchange their medals for the George Cross.

It was originally awarded to British and Commonwealth miners and quarrymen in recognition of acts of life-saving in the face of extreme danger. It was extended to British and Commonwealth industry workers only two years later on December 1, 1909. The Medal was awarded in a First Class silver medal and a Second Class bronze medal. In 1949, the First Class Medal was permanently discontinued. The Second Class Medal continued to be awarded until 1971, but only posthumously.

The Medal could be awarded multiple times to the same recipient in which case a bar clasp was worn on the ribbon to denote each additional award. There are only two instances of bar clasps having been awarded, once in 1910 and once in 1911.

Recipients of the Medal are entitled to the post-nominal letters EM.

The medal is classified into two types based on the recognized action and the reverse engraving. Type I medals were awarded for actions in the mines and feature a reverse designed by G.W. De Saulles, while Type II medals were awarded for actions in industry. The first Type II version features a reverse designed by Kathleen Bruce. The second version of Type II features a reverse designed by Gilbert Bayes. There are multiple versions of each type that differ in the obverse engraving and inscription according to the reigning Sovereign.

There may be additional versions that differ in size.