History

The Albert Medal was established by Royal Warrant on March 7, 1866, and named in honour of Prince Albert who had passed away five years earlier. It was reduced in 1949 before it was permanently discontinued in 1971 in favour of the George Cross.

The Medal was originally created as a single-class medal awarded to British and Commonwealth citizens in recognition of life-saving acts at sea, however, it was expanded into two classes only a year later. In 1877, it was extended to recognize acts of life-saving on land. It could also be awarded multiple times to the same recipient, in which case a bar clasp was worn on the ribbon to denote each additional award. The Medal was awarded in this manner until 1949 when the I Class Medal was permanently discontinued, and the II Class Medal was only awarded posthumously. In 1971, it was permanently discontinued, and all recipients were invited to exchange their medals for the George Cross.

Recipients were entitled to use the post-nominal letters AM after a 1918 amendment.

There are different versions of the medal that vary in design and inscription according to the type of the recognized act. Medals for acts of life-saving at sea feature an anchor in the obverse design, while medals for acts of life-saving on land do not.