Polar Medal 1628297 216029133 2008-05-30T19:32:45Z Coyets 1644213 Category added {{Unreferenced|date=January 2008}} {{Infobox Military Award |name=Polar Medal |image=[[Image:Polar medal top.jpg|centre|200px]]<br><br>[[Image:Polar Medal (UK) ribbon.png|90px]] |caption=Reverse of medal and ribbon |awarded_by=[[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|UK]] and [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] |type= Medal |eligibility= |for= ''extreme human endeavour against the appalling weather and conditions that exist in the Arctic and Antarctic'' |status= |description= |clasps= |established= 1857 |first_award= |last_award= |total= |posthumous= |recipients= |individual= |higher= |same= |lower= |image2= |caption2= }} The '''Polar Medal''' is a medal awarded by the [[Sovereign]] of the [[United Kingdom]], which was originally instituted in [[1857]] as the '''Arctic Medal''' to reward earlier explorers attempting to discover the [[Northwest Passage]]. * The first awards were made to the men engaged in a search expedition to discover the fate of [[John Franklin|Sir John Franklin]] and his crew who were lost in [[1847]] while looking for the Northwest Passage. * A second Arctic Medal was sanctioned for the crews of three ships exploring in the [[Arctic]] in 1875&ndash;76. * In [[1904]] a third and current series, the Polar Medal, was instituted for members of [[Robert Falcon Scott|Captain Scott's]] first expedition to [[Antarctica]]. Medals were also awarded to members of [[Ernest Shackleton]]'s expedition. Originally the medal came in both silver and bronze; the bronze medals were awarded to personnel of relief ships for Antarctic expeditions. No bronze medals were awarded for Arctic expeditions. Today the medal comes in silver only. Before [[1968]] the Polar Medal was awarded to all who participated in any Polar expedition endorsed by the government of any of the [[Commonwealth Realm]]s. Today however the Polar Medal is only awarded to selected British individuals for extreme human endeavour against the appalling weather and conditions that exist in the Arctic and Antarctic. An increasing number are awarded to members of expeditions and scientific bases that are kept constantly manned in the Antarctic. The Regulations governing the award have been revised and now "acquisition of knowledge of Polar regions shall normally be ten years such service to be considered a medal". However, greater emphasis is now placed on individual service. A total of 880 silver and 245 bronze medals have been issued for Antarctic expeditions and a further 73 silver medals for Arctic expeditions. [[Ranulph Fiennes]] and [[Wally Herbert]] are among the few to have been awarded the Polar Medal and bar, covering as they have, expeditions in both the Arctic and Antarctic. ====Australia==== The [[Government of Australia]] has replaced the Polar Medal with its own [[Australian Antarctic Medal]] in [[1987]]. ====New Zealand==== In 1996 when [[New Zealand]] revised its royal honours system, New Zealanders ceased to receive the Polar Medal, although it was proposed that the medal would be preserved, with a new name, under New Zealand regulations. The rationale for the renaming was the surprising belief that "Polar" meant the north pole, and indicated that the advisory committee were apparently ignorant both of the history of the Polar Medal as well as of geography.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} On [[September 1]][[2006]] the [[New Zealand Antarctic Medal]] was instituted by the [[Queen of New Zealand]]. ===Description=== * The medal is [[octagonal]] and the [[obverse]] bears the head of the reigning monarch ([[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Victoria]], [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edward VII]], [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]], [[George VI of the United Kingdom|George VI]] or [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]]) * The reverse depicts the [[RRS Discovery|RRS ''Discovery'']] with a sledge party in the foreground. * The ribbon is plain white with a [[watermark]]ed or [[moiré pattern]]. [[Category:Civil awards and decorations of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:1857 establishments]] [[ca:Medalla polar]] [[fr:Médaille polaire]] [[it:Medaglia polare]]