not receive it from the monarch in person, but from the Lord Lieutenant of their county, recipients are invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party to celebrate their achievement. Appearance The Medal of the Order of the British Empire awarded from 1917 to 1922 was a circular silver medal, in diameter, showing a seated Britannia and the inscription FOR GOD AND THE EMPIRE on the obverse and the Royal cypher on the reverse. The medal had a ring suspender for the wide ribbon of plain purple, the military division having a red central stripe. The medal was awarded unnamed. The medals introduced in 1922 broadly follow the same design but, with a diameter of , are larger than the previous medal, and have either FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE or FOR GALLANTRY in the obverse exergue. The medal has a straight bar suspender for the wide ribbon. This was plain purple, with a red central stripe for the military division, until 1937 when, like the Order, the ribbon changed to the current design of rose-pink with pearl-grey edges, with an additional pearl-grey central stripe for the military division. The medal was presented with the recipient's name on the rim. References External links Search recommendations for the British Empire Medal on The UK National Archives' website. British Empire Medal on the Veterans Affairs Canada site Civil awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Decorations of the Merchant Navy Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom