__NOTOC__ The Australian Meritorious Service Medal (1903–75) was awarded to

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mo ...

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

s and other ranks who had completed 22 years meritorious service with

Australian Military Forces The Australian Military Forces (AMF) was the official name of the Army of Australia from 1916 to 1980. This encompassed both the (full-time) "regular army", and the (part-time) forces, variously known during this period as the Militia, the Citizen ...

, and who had previously received the

Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal The Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal was instituted by King William IV in 1830. The medal remained in use for 100 years, until it was replaced by the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) in 1930. During that time the rever ...

History

Medal for long service (1903–75)

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 ...

was originally established in 1845 as a British decoration to reward army warrant officers and sergeants for long and meritorious service. Eligibility was extended in 1895 to local permanent forces in various parts of the British Empire, including the Australian

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. Each of these medals had a similar design, but was inscribed with the name of the colony on its reverse and had its own distinct ribbon. After the 1901

Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western ...

, these medals were replaced by a common Australian version, first awarded in 1903.Meritorious Service Medal
, heritagemedals.com The medal ceased to be awarded in 1975, when all Imperial long service awards were replaced by the Australian National Medal. The medal is silver, with the reigning sovereign's profile on the obverse. The reverse has a small crown above a wreath surrounding the inscription 'FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE, with 'COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA' above the crown. The medal is suspended from a crimson ribbon with two central dark green stripes.

Medal for gallantry or valuable service (1916–28)

In 1916 the award criteria for the medal were widened by the UK authorities to include immediate awards for non-operational gallantry or valuable service connected with the war effort. Australian forces were awarded approximately 1,222Some sources state 1,237 awards e.g. see: Meritorious Service Medals on this basis, including 32 for gallantry. In 1928 this version of the medal ceased to be awarded. Awards made for gallantry or valuable service were of the standard British type, without the words 'COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA' on the reverse, and with a crimson ribbon with a narrow white stripe at each edge and in the centre.

References

External links

*{{cite web , url= http://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/content.php?pid=41302&sid=4667877 , title= Australians in World War 1 , publisher = State Library of Victoria Military awards and decorations of Australia Long service medals