Service Medal of the Order of St. John's ambulance with four bars. 1944 33215 CPL.G.E. Baker.Surrey. S.J.A.B 1944 This medal recognizes both conspicuous service and long service within the Order, with its most common use being to reward long service in St John Ambulance. The earliest mention of the Service Medal is found in the St John Ambulance Brigade General Regulations for 1895, with its first issue in 1899. The normal qualification for the medal was 15 years of efficient service in the United Kingdom, and 12 years in the Priories of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The bars on the ribbon indicate additional periods of service, with each bar typically representing a further 5 years of service, at least in the UK
