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Miniature silver medallion in the form of a cross bottony with eyelet and loop for wear; the face with a circular central medallion hatched for the heraldic colour sable (black) with 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 within a ring inscribed ‘THE ST. JOHN AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION’, the ends of each arm of the cross with a St. John’s wort flower; the reverse with the engraved attribution ‘430074 / DONALD E RARITY’, inscribed at the base ‘REGISTERED AT / ST. JOHNS GATE / LONDON’ maker’s mark ‘WD&S’ for W. M. Dowler & Sons on the upper arm of the cross and and Birmingham silver hallmarks for 1938 on the lower arm of the cross; diameter 26.8mm (1.05 inches). In 1879, two years after its foundation, St. John Ambulance Association introduced a medallion to be awarded to those who had passed three of its examinations. At least two of the examinations were required to be in First Aid to the Injured but the third could be in either Home Nursing or Home Hygiene. The First Aid examinations could not be taken at intervals of less than one year and thus the Medallion could be gained in either one or two years, according to the combination of subjects taken. The Medallion was intended to prove, when necessary, the competence of the holder to render first aid to the injured. This fourth version of the medal is known to have been in existence by 1909; its issue ceased in 1992. W. M. Dowler & Sons, registered in 1893, were military ornament makers until 1940.
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