Invictus Games Participant Gold Medal, 2014

Presented to Captain Harry Parker, The Rifles, by Sir Keith Mills, Chief Executive Officer of the Invictus Games, on 29 September 2014.

Circular medal made by House of Garrard, 2014. On the obverse the inscriptions, 'I Am London 2014', and 'I Am the Master of My Fate'. On the reverse, the inscription, 'Invictus Games London 2014'. The medal is suspended from a yellow ribbon and came with a presentation box, original packaging and a letter of thanks.

The organisers of the Invictus Games wanted an injured soldier to be involved in the design process of the medal and selected Harry Parker, an artist and veteran, who lost both his legs when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan.

Parker's ideas were incorporated in the final medal design and he was presented with this example as a thank you for his work.

The embossed pattern, reminiscent of stitching, was chosen to represent the journey of recovery and rehabilitation of the wounded, injured and sick service personnel participating in the Invictus Games. The quote, 'I am the master of my fate', is from the William Ernest Henley poem, 'Invictus'.