Imperial Service Medal

Imperial Service Medal

The Imperial Service Medal (ISM) is the medal of the Imperial Service Order instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII who wished to recognise more fully the services rendered to him by members of the civil service. It is awarded at the prerogative of the Sovereign to eligible civil servants who, on leaving the service, have given not less than 25 years’ meritorious service.

The Imperial Service Medal (ISM) is awarded to recognise long and faithful service in the Civil Service by an individual in an eligible grade on the retirement, resignation or redundancy of an individual with at least 25 years meritorious service, whether full time of part time. It is not an automatic award; the MOD has a responsibility to ensure that the award is not devalued by recommending those whose service is less than meritorious and, on an employees departure from the service, PPPA will conduct a review of the career record of those who are potentially eligible for the award to establish if service has been meritorious. In this context meritorious service will be regarded as faithful and diligent service and no exceptional or outstanding performance, either in isolation or over a period, is necessary for qualification.