The Elizabeth Cross medal is a commemorative emblem established on 1 July 2009 and awarded to next of kin of members of the British Armed Forces killed in action or as a result of a terrorist attack after WW2. The medal bears the name of the current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
The award was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II and eligibility is retrospective to deaths from the end of the Second World War. Previously, for those who died in the First World War relatives were presented with a memorial scroll and bronze plaque. The creation of the award was announced in a written statement to the House of Commons by Secretary of State for Defence Bob Ainsworth on 1 July, and also in a broadcast on the British Forces Broadcasting Service made by the Queen.
The Royal Warrant states that relatives of members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are also eligible to receive the award. The first crosses were issued by the Ministry of Defence Medal Office at Imjin Barracks, Innsworth on 1 August 2009.
The medal is struck in sterling silver, measures 31 mm and was designed by Dayna White of Birmingham jewelers Gladman & Norman Ltd – who also made them until 2018 (from May 2018 the contract to manufacture the cross passed to Worcestershire Medal Service).
The shape is a Greek cross superimposed on another cross, with a Royal cipher in the center. Within a laurel wreath are the floral emblems of England (the Rose), Scotland (the Thistle), Ireland (the Shamrock), and Wales (the Daffolid). Its appearance is similar to the earlier Canadian Memorial Cross, awarded since 1919.
The obverse scroll bears the words:
This scroll commemorates [name] who gave his/her life for Queen and country on the [date] day of [month] [year]
The words were chosen by the previous Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, and approved by the Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup and the three service chiefs.
Families receive a large version of the cross, and a pin-on miniature, as well as a Memorial Scroll signed by The Queen which bears the name of the person who died.
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