The Southern Cross Medal of 1952, post-nominal letters SM, is a South African military decoration which was instituted by 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 1952. It was awarded for outstanding devotion to duty and was originally available to all ranks, but from 1967 until July 1975, when it was discontinued, it was reserved for officers.South African Medal Website - Post-nominal Letters
(Accessed 28 April 2015)

The South African military

The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912 and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1958. On 27 April 1994, it was integrated with six other independent forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
(Accessed 30 April 2015)
(Accessed 30 April 2015)Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 457, no. 25213, Pretoria, 25 July 2003
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Institution

The Southern Cross Medal of 1952, post-nominal letters SM, was instituted by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

on 6 April 1952, during the

Tercentenary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...

Van Riebeeck Festival.CometoCapeTown.com Blast from the past – Van Riebeeck festival in 1952
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Award criteria

The Southern Cross Medal could be awarded to members of the South African Defence Force for outstanding devotion to duty. From 1952 to 1967, the award could be made to all ranks, until an equivalent award for other ranks, the Pro Merito Medal, was introduced in 1967 and the award of the Southern Cross Medal was restricted to officers. The first awards were made on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the

in 1960.

Order of wear

With effect from 6 April 1952, when the Southern Cross Medal and several other new decorations and medals were instituted, these new awards took precedence before all earlier British orders, decorations and medals awarded to South Africans, 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 ...

, which still took precedence before all other awards. The other older British awards continued to be worn in the order 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 ...

. (Access date 14 April 2015)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. The position of the Southern Cross Medal of 1952 in the official order of precedence was revised three times after 1975, to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first upon the integration into the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, again in April 1996, when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted for the two former non-statutory forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and finally upon the institution of a new set of awards on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged on all three occasions.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette no. 15093, Pretoria, 3 September 1993Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, CClint

;Official SANDF order of precedence: * Preceded by the

Medical Service Cross The Medical Service Cross, post-nominal letters CC (Crux Curationis), is a military decoration which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1987. It was awarded to members of the South African Medical Service for bravery. The Medica ...

(CC) of the

Republic of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. * Succeeded by the

Pro Merito Medal (1967) The Pro Merito Medal of 1967, post-nominal letters PMM, is a military decoration which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1967. It was awarded to other ranks of the South African Defence Force for outstanding devotion to duty an ...

(PMM) of the Republic of South Africa. ;Official national order of precedence: * Preceded by the Medical Service Cross (CC) of the Republic of South Africa. * Succeeded by the Pro Merito Medal (1967) (PMM) of the Republic of South Africa.

Description

;Obverse The Southern Cross Medal of 1952 is a

medallion A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

struck in silver, 38 millimetres in diameter and 3 millimetres thick, depicting the stars of the

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for c ...

against a dark blue enameled background, framed in a circle of oak leaves. ;Reverse The reverse has the pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms. Specimens which were struck before South Africa became a republic in 1961, have Queen Elizabeth's royal cypher (E II R) above the Coat of Arms. The decoration number was impressed at the bottom of the decoration on the rim. ;Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide with a 13 millimetres wide dark blue band, one orange and one white band, both 3 millimetres wide, and a 13 millimetres wide dark blue band.

Discontinuation

Conferment of the decoration was discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 1 July 1975, when the

Southern Cross Medal (1975) The Southern Cross Medal of 1975, post-nominal letters SM, is a military decoration which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa on 1 July 1975. It was awarded to officers of the South African Defence Force for exceptionally meritorious ...

was instituted to replace it.

Recipients

Some officers were awarded both versions of the Southern Cross Medal. One example is Vice-Admiral

Lambert Jackson Woodburne Lambert may refer to People *Lambert (name), a given name and surname * Lambert, Bishop of Ostia (c. 1036–1130), became Pope Honorius II *Lambert, Margrave of Tuscany ( fl. 929–931), also count and duke of Lucca *Lambert (pianist), stage-name ...

DVR SD SM, former Chief of the Navy. In such cases, the post-nominal letters "SM" is used once only.

References

{{South African military decorations and medals Military decorations and medals of South Africa 1952 establishments in South Africa Awards established in 1952