The Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (South Africa) (''Medalje vir Langdurige Diens en Goeie Gedrag'') is a distinctive South African version of the British Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military). It was awarded to members of the Permanent Force of 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 ...

who had completed eighteen years of reckonable service.South African Medal Website - Union Defence Forces (1939-52)
(Accessed 3 May 2015) The British

Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) The Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) is a medal awarded to regular members of the armed forces. It was instituted by King George V in 1930 and replaced the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal as well as the Permanent For ...

replaced the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, while the South African and other territorial versions of the new medal replaced the

Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas Medal The Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas Medal is a long service and good conduct medal, instituted for award to other ranks of the Permanent Forces of the Dominions and Colonies of the British Empire. The medal, also known as the Perm ...

which had been instituted in 1910 for award to other ranks of the Permanent Forces of the Dominions and Colonies of 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 ...

Origin

The United Kingdom's Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal was instituted by

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

in 1830. On 31 May 1895,

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 ...

authorised the institution of territorial versions of the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, as well as of the

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...

and the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

, for the Dominions and Colonies. In 1910,

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 ...

instituted the Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas Medal to replace the several territorial versions of the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.Stephen Stratford Medals site - British Military & Criminal History - 1900 to 1999 - Army Long Service & Good Conduct Medal
(Accessed 26 May 2015)
(Accessed 6 May 2015) (Accessed 26 May 2015)

Institution

On 23 September 1930,

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 ...

cancelled the May 1895 Warrant of Queen Victoria in so far as it relates to the grant of medals for long service. Simultaneously, the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal as well as the Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas Medal were replaced by the institution of the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military). The new medal was instituted as one medal to reward the long service and good conduct of warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men of all the Permanent Forces of the Home Country and the Dominions, Colonies and Protectorates of the

, and the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. A subsidiary title was included for the new medal, to denote in which Permanent Force or Regular Force the recipient was serving upon qualifying for the award of the medal. This took the form of a bar attached to the suspender of the Medal, inscribed "Regular Army" on medals awarded to members of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, or with the name of the respective country or colony on the medals awarded by them. Apart from the subsidiary titles, all but one of the medals were identical. The exception was the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (South Africa) which was introduced in December 1939, since the inscriptions on the bar as well as on the reverse of the medal were bilingual, in Afrikaans and English on the bar and in English and Afrikaans on the medal reverse. Instead of the name of the country, South Africa followed the British example and displayed the inscriptions "Staande Mag" and "Permanent Force" on the suspender bar.Peter Duckers. ''British Military Medals, A Guide for the Collector and Family Historian''
Paragraph heading: The South African Permanent Forces Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, 1939-52. 2nd ed, 2013. Pen & Sword Books Ltd., Barnsley, South Yorkshire. PDF (Accessed 19 June 2015)

Award criteria

The medal was initially only awarded to warrant officers and other ranks who had completed eighteen years of qualifying service in the Permanent Force, but during and after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

officers could also be awarded this medal if they had completed at least twelve of their eighteen years of service in the ranks. War service, subject to certain conditions, was counted as double time.'Long Service & Good Conduct Medal (LS&GCM) for the Army'
Ministry of Defence website. Retrieved 1 July 2013. A Clasp to the medal was introduced in 1940 and could be awarded for thirty years of service. An officer became eligible for the award of the clasp if twenty-two or more of the thirty years of service had been in the ranks and provided that the other criteria had been met.

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 ...

, the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (South Africa) ranks on par with the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military). It takes precedence after the

Accumulated Campaign Service Medal The Accumulated Campaign Service Medal and the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 2011 are medals awarded by King Charles III to members of his Armed Forces to recognise long campaign service. The original Accumulated Campaign Service Medal, inst ...

and before the

Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1830) The Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1830) of the United Kingdom was introduced in 1830 and ratified by King William IV of the United Kingdom, William IV in 1831. It could only be awarded to selected Navy ratings after altogether 21 y ...

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 Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (South Africa) 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 - Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas Medal

Ribbon - Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas Medal

* Preceded by the

. * Succeeded by the

Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies The Volunteer Officers' Decoration was instituted in 1892 as an award for long and meritorious service by officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force. In 1894, the grant of the decoration was extended to commissioned officers of Volunteer ...

(VD).

Description

;Obverse The medal was struck in silver and is a disk, 36 millimetres in diameter and with a raised rim. It bears the effigy of King George VI and is inscribed "GEORGIVS VI D: G: BR: OMN: REX ET INDIAE IMP:" around the perimeter, with the inscription beginning and ending at the eight o'clock position. ;Reverse The reverse is plain with a raised rim and bears the English and Afrikaans inscriptions "FOR LONG SERVICE AND GOOD CONDUCT" and "VIR LANGDURIGE DIENS EN GOEIE GEDRAG", each language in four lines and the languages separated by a 12 millimetres long line. The name of the recipient was impressed on the rim of the medal. ;Suspender The fixed suspender has a bar attached to its top which bears, on the obverse only, the Afrikaans and English inscriptions "STAANDE MAG" and "PERMANENT FORCE" in two lines. The suspender is affixed to the medal by means of a single-toe claw and a pin through the upper edge of the medal. ;Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and crimson, edged with white bands, each 3 millimetres wide.

Discontinuation

Award of the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (South Africa) was discontinued on 6 April 1952. The medal was replaced by the

Union Medal The Union Medal was instituted by the Union of South Africa in 1952. It was awarded to Permanent Force members of the South African Defence Force for eighteen years of service and good conduct.Alexander, E.G.M., Barron, G.K.B. and Bateman, A.J. ...

, which could be awarded to both officers and other ranks who had completed eighteen years of qualifying service in the Permanent Force.

References

{{Efficiency and long service decorations and medals Military decorations and medals of South Africa Military decorations and medals of South Africa pre-1952 Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Long and Meritorious Service Medals of Britain and the Commonwealth