§ MR. GEORGE FABER (York)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Coronation medals are all, or any of them, dated 26th June, 1902; and, if so, why, when the date of the Coronation was altered, the date on the medals was not also altered before their issue.
§ * THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. AKERS DOUGLAS,) Kent, St. Augustine'sIt should be remembered that these medals are the personal gift of the King, and that no Government Department is responsible for them. But it is not, I think, difficult to understand the reasons why the date 808 26th June appears on the medals. They were got ready for that date, and to alter them would have taken a long time counting from the date on which the Coronation actually took place, so that they would not have been ready for distribution. Further, it would have cost a considerable sum of money to re-make them, and in all the circumstances to incur further expense in the matter may well have seemed unjustifiable.