Awarded to Sergeant Francis George Smith RMLI (1879-1952). Obverse: Bust of Queen Victoria, crowned and veiled, with order (left). Legend: 'VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX'. Reverse: At the foot of a palm tree a trophy of flags, cannons, the royal shield, a capstan etc. Legend: 'ARMIS EXPOSCERE PACEM' . Exergue: 'CHINA 1900'. Inscribed on edge: 'PVTE. F.G.SMITH, R.M.L.I.' Bar: 'DEFENCE OF LEGATIONS'. Fitted with a bar and cerise ribbon edged with yellow.

Francis George Smith was born in Lambeth to George William Smith, a cook and his wife Lucy Smith (formerly Clark). By 1891 he was resident in Penge, the adopted child of Henry and Jane Bryant. He enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry on 4 Jul 1897 and served in HMS 'Orlando' from 16 February 1899 to 31 December 1901. On the 30 May 1900, he was part of a a force landed to guard the British legation in Peking (Beijing) during the Boxer rebellion and he took part in the siege.
From 1904 he was on the books of training ships 'Boscawen', 'Hogue', 'Impregnable' and the Royal Hospital School, Greenwich, working as a physical training instructor. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on 9 July 1914 and was demobilised on 26 March 1919. After the war, now in the Royal Fleet Reserve, Frank worked as a fireman at Richborough , Kent, in the Pensioner Coastguard Forces and as a sacristan and parish clark at Glastonbury. He was also a postman and carpenter's mate.
He married Anna Maria E. (Sprules) at Chippenham in 1908. A son, George Frances was born in Gosport the following year and they also had two daughters. By 1939 the couple had moved to Aylsham, Norfolk, where Frank worked as a labourer for Electromotors Ltd, Norwich. Smith remained in Norwich until his death.