Design
The medal is octagonal in shape with a white ribbon. The reverse of the original Arctic Medal showed a three-masted ship surrounded by ice floes. The die for the medal was engraved by Leonard Charles Wyon. A new design by Ernest Gillick was used from 1904, showing RRS Discovery, with a sledging party in the foreground. The obverse bears a portrait of the reigning monarch.
The medal was originally cast in both silver and bronze. Since 1939, all awarded medals have been silver. Bronze medals were presented to personnel on relief ships for Antarctic expeditions, they were never awarded to participant of Arctic expeditions.
Read more about this topic: Polar Medal
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)