The Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal was instituted by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

in 1899 as a military long service award for part-time members of all ranks in any of the organized military forces of the British Colonies, Dependencies and Protectorates throughout the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. The medal gradually superseded the

Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies The Volunteer Long Service Medal was instituted in 1894 as an award for long service by other ranks and some officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force. In 1896, the grant of the medal was extended to other ranks and officers who had serv ...

in all these territories, with the exception of the

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and the

Indian Empire The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

.South African Medal Website – Colonial Military Forces
(Accessed 6 May 2015) In 1930, the medal, along with the

Volunteer Long Service Medal The Volunteer Long Service Medal was instituted in 1894 as an award for long service by other ranks and some officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force. Award of the medal was discontinued when it was superseded by the Territorial Force ...

, the Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies, the

Militia Long Service Medal The Militia Long Service Medal was a long service medal awarded by the United Kingdom between 1904 and 1930. Eligibility Established by King Edward VII by Army Order No. 211 of 1904, the medal was awarded to privates and non-commissioned office ...

, the

Special Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal The Special Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal was a long service medal awarded by the United Kingdom. The medal was awarded for service in the Army Special Reserve, or a combination of service in the Special Reserve and other part-time mi ...

and the

Territorial Efficiency Medal The Territorial Efficiency Medal (TEM) was a United Kingdom award for long service in the Territorial Army. It superseded the Territorial Force Efficiency Medal when the Territorial Force became the Territorial Army in 1921. It was superseded by ...

, were superseded by the

Efficiency Medal The Efficiency Medal was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men after twelve years of efficient service on the active list of the Militia or the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom, or ...

in an effort to standardise recognition across the Empire.

Origin

The

was instituted in 1894 as an award for long service by other ranks in the part-time Volunteer Force of the United Kingdom. In 1896, the grant of this medal was extended by Queen Victoria to members of Volunteer Forces throughout the British Empire and a separate new medal was instituted, the Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies.

Institution

The Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal was instituted by Queen Victoria's Royal Warrant of 18 May 1899. This medal could be awarded to part-time members of all ranks in recognition of long service in any of the organised military forces of the

Dominion of Canada While a variety of theories have been postulated for the name of Canada, its origin is now accepted as coming from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word , meaning 'village' or 'settlement'. In 1535, indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec C ...

, the

Crown Colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...

and the

Protectorates A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

, whether designated as militia or volunteers or otherwise. The medal superseded the Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies in all these territories, with the exception of the Isle of Man, Bermuda and the Indian Empire. Adoption of the medal by the Colonies took place gradually. In the Colonies which would become the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Trans ...

in 1910, for example, it was adopted by the

Colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to ...

in 1900, the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

in 1901 and the

Transvaal Colony The Transvaal Colony () was the name used to refer to the Transvaal region during the period of direct British rule and military occupation between the end of the Second Boer War in 1902 when the South African Republic was dissolved, and the ...

in 1906. In Canada and New Zealand, the medal was authorised in 1902.Birkenhead Returned Services Association - Military Medals - The Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal
(Accessed 6 July 2015)Veterans Affairs Canada - Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal
(Accessed 6 July 2015)

Award criteria

The medal could be awarded for twenty years of service as a part-time member of any rank in any of the Colonial Auxiliary Forces. Qualifying service could be had by serving in the forces of more than one Colony or Protectorate. Service in the Militia and Volunteer Forces of the United Kingdom was also reckonable, so long as at least half of all qualifying service had been rendered in the forces of the Dominion, Colonies or Protectorates. Service on the West Coast of Africa counted as double time. Service on the permanent staff was not reckonable. Officers holding the medal who were subsequently awarded the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration were not required to surrender the medal, but were not permitted to wear it any more until such time as the full periods of service required for both decoration and medal were completed. On 25 January 1923, the Royal Warrant was amended in respect of part-time members who had actually served, or accepted the obligation of serving, beyond the boundaries of the Dominions, Colonies, Dependencies or Protectorates during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Such service on the active list was reckoned two-fold as qualifying service towards the requisite twenty years, whether such service was in the Naval Forces, Military Forces or Air Forces.

Order of wear

In the order of wear prescribed by the British

Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, or simply the Central Chancery, is an office of the Lord Chamberlain’s department within the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the administration of or ...

, the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal takes precedence after the

Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration The Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration, post-nominal letters VD, was established in 1899 as recognition for long and meritorious service as a part-time commissioned officer in any of the organized military forces of the British Colon ...

and before the Medal for Good Shooting (Naval).

South Africa

With effect from 6 April 1952, when a new South African set of decorations and medals was instituted to replace the British awards used to date, the older British decorations and medals which were applicable to South Africa continued to be worn in the same order of precedence but, with the exception of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, took precedence after all South African decorations and medals awarded to South Africans on or after that date. Of the official British medals which were applicable to South Africans, the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal takes precedence as shown.Government Notice no. 1982 of 1 October 1954 - ''Order of Precedence of Orders, Decorations and Medals'', published in the Government Gazette of 1 October 1954.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, Ribbon - Volunteer Long Service Medal

Ribbon - Efficiency Decoration (South Africa)

* Preceded by the

(VD). * Succeeded by the

Efficiency Decoration (South Africa) The Efficiency Decoration (South Africa), post-nominal letters ED, was instituted in 1930 for award to efficient and thoroughly capable part-time officers in the Citizen Force of the Union of South Africa after twenty years of service. The decor ...

(ED).

Description

Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal (Edward VII)

Colonial_Auxiliary_Forces_Long_Service_Medal_-_George_V_version

The medal was struck in silver and is a disk, in diameter, with a raised rim on each side. It is suspended from a plain, straight, swivelling silver bar, affixed to the medal by means of a single-toe claw and a pin through the upper edge of the medal, with double scroll claw supports on the rim.Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company - Defence Honours and Awards - Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal
(Accessed 5 July 2015) ;Obverse The obverse of the medal depicts the reigning monarch. Three obverse versions of the medal were struck. * The original Queen Victoria version of 1899 has a diademed and veiled (widowed) effigy of the Queen, facing left, circumscribed with the legend "VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX". The initials "TB" of medallist

Sir Thomas Brock Sir Thomas Brock (1 March 184722 August 1922) was an English sculptor and medallist, notable for the creation of several large public sculptures and monuments in Britain and abroad in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His mos ...

KCB RA are in the field below the bust. * The

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

version, introduced after his succession to the throne in 1901, displays his effigy in Field Marshal's uniform, facing left, circumscribed with the legend "EDWARDVS VII REX IMPERATOR". The initials "DES" of medallist

George William de Saulles George William de Saulles (4 February 1862 – 21 July 1903) was a British medallist. He designed the obverse of coins of the United Kingdom and its colonies under Queen Victoria and King Edward VII. Life He was born on 4 February 1862 at Villa St ...

are in the field below the bust.Museum Victoria - Medal - Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal, King Edward VII, Australia, 1902-1910
(Accessed 6 July 2015) * The

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

version, introduced after his succession to the throne in 1910, shows the King in Field Marshal's uniform, facing left, and is circumscribed with the legend "GEORGIVS V BRITT: OMN: REX ET IND: IMP:". The initials "BM" of Australian medallist Sir

Edgar Bertram Mackennal Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal (12 June 186310 October 1931), usually known as Bertram Mackennal, was an Australian sculptor and medallist, most famous for designing the coinage and stamps bearing the likeness of George V. He signed his work "BM". ...

KCVO appear under the shoulder of the bust. ;Reverse The reverse shows an ornamental shield bearing the legend "FOR LONG SERVICE IN THE COLONIAL AUXILIARY FORCES" in five lines. Above the shield is the Imperial Crown with a spray of oak leaves to the left and a spray of laurel to the right. ;Ribbon The ribbon is plain dark green and wide. The same ribbon was used for the Volunteer Long Service Medal, the Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies and the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers Decoration.

Discontinuation

The Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal, along with the Volunteer Long Service Medal, the Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies, the Militia Long Service Medal, the Special Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and the Territorial Efficiency Medal, were superseded by the Efficiency Medal on 23 September 1930 in an effort to standardise recognition for part-time service across the Empire by the award of one medal.

References

{{Thomas Brock Long and Meritorious Service Medals of Britain and the Commonwealth Military awards and decorations of Australia Military awards and decorations of Canada New Zealand Meritorious & Long Service Awards Military decorations and medals of South Africa Military decorations and medals of South Africa pre-1952 Awards established in 1899