In most cases the medals were awarded to Red Cross/VAD staff who had not been awarded any other medal such as the Royal Red Cross Medal or other award for their service.

A series of presentations were held throughout the country.. Details below are given of the presentation at Colchester.

36 medals were awarded to staff of Gostywycke and County Hospitals at Colchester, 15 for staff at Colchester Military Hospital,3 medals for staff at Woodhouse, Great Horkesley and 6 in other local hospitals.

Senior staff at the ceremony

  Miss Ingall - Senior Commandant of the Division, Miss Melissa Seaborn, Supt Andrews of St Johns, the Misses Wicks, Miss Sybil Round, Miss Mounsey Commandant of Ardleigh Red Cross Hospital, Mrs Lermitte of Woodhouse Hospital  RRC,

Medals were awarded to

Dr Agnes Estcourt-Oswald MO to Essex 2nd VAD , Annie Anthony, Gladys Barchard, Flora Barham, Cissie Gladys Bevan, Emily Blomfield, Elizabeth Buckle, Bessie Butcher, Amy Bullock, Bertie Burns, Madeleine Byrne,Hannah E Cadosch, Dorothy Carr, Emily Chidwick, Walter Champion,Marie Craig, Violet Craig,Edward Cudmore, Vera Denny (formerly Craig), Grace Daniell, Jessie Dawes, Dorothy M Dick, Nancy Pierpoint-Edwards, Ella Everett, William Everett, Dorothy M Flux, Mary Gethen, Lilian Gosling, Margaret Head, Florence Heap, Evelyn G B Jones, Winifred May Jones, May Lilley, Minnie Lilley, Alice Lloyd, Rebecca Lloyd, Helen Sinclair May, Emma Mole, Violet Mumford, Daisy Newton, Florence L Parker, Mr Alfred Pawsey, Elsie Pointing, Cicely Polard, Kathleen C Reid, Sybil M Round, Mabel Sage, Kate Saunders, Melissa Seaborn, Annie Stannard, Annie Start, Agnes Stow, Gladys Storr, Alice Twyman, Elizabeth Vyce, John Vyce, Maude M Walford, Florence watson, Gertrude Worger, Ruby Wyatt,Amy Wicks, Hilda Wicks, Beatrice Wicks plus Cecil Poland and Hilda Lily of Fordham.

Of special mention was stretcher bearer Quartermaster Bertie Burns who helped to carry 1,000 stretcher cases from the railway to the hospital.