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 Award of the medal was discontinued when it was superseded by the Territorial Force E ...

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 served in the ranks of the Volunteer Forces 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 e ...

. A separate new medal was instituted, the Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies. Awarding of this medal was discontinued in stages when it was superseded in most territories by the

Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal The Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal was instituted by Queen Victoria 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 Prote ...

in 1899 and in the remainder by the Efficiency Medal in 1930.

Origin

The Volunteer Long Service Medal was instituted in 1894 as an award for long service by other ranks in the part-time Volunteer Force of the United Kingdom, as well as to officers who had served in the ranks but who had not qualified for the award of the

Volunteer Officers' Decoration The Volunteer Officers' Decoration, post-nominal letters VD, was instituted in 1892 as an award for long and meritorious service by officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force. Award of the decoration was discontinued in the United Kingdom ...

. The qualifying period of service was twenty years.The Military Archive – Volunteer Long Service Medal
(Accessed 30 June 2015)

Institution

On 13 June 1896, the grant of the Volunteer Long Service Medal was extended 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 her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

to members of Volunteer Forces throughout the British Empire, defined as being

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, 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 Ci ...

, 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 Council ...

and the British Protectorates. A separate new medal was instituted, the Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies. Institution of this medal was not, as usual, by Royal Warrant, but in terms of a special Army Order. This medal was similar in design to the Volunteer Long Service Medal, but bore different inscriptions on the obverse of each monarch's version.Birkenhead Returned Services Association – Military Medals – The Volunteer Long Service Medal
(Accessed 1 July 2015)

Award criteria

The qualifying period of service was also twenty years, except in India, where it was eighteen years. The medal could be awarded upon the recommendation by an individual's present or, if retired, former commanding officer. Service had to have been consecutive, with allowance being made for special circumstances. Officer recipients had to surrender the medal if they were subsequently awarded either the Volunteer Officers' Decoration or the Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies.

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 Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies takes precedence after the Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies and before 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 ...

* Preceded by the Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies (VD). * Succeeded by the

(VD).

Description

The medal was struck in silver and is a disk, in diameter, with a raised rim on each side. It is suspended from a straight swivelling silver bar, affixed to the medal by means of a claw and a pin through the upper edge of the medal. ;Obverse The obverse of the medal depicts the reigning monarch. Three obverse versions of the medal were struck. * The original version of 1896, created by

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 ...

, shows the effigy of Queen Victoria wearing the Crown, a veil and the Star of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the Georg ...

. The effigy is circumscribed "VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX" (Victoria, Queen and Empress). This version's suspender is affixed to the medal by means of a double-toe claw. Some Queen Victoria medals were awarded up to July 1902, post-dating her death.Latin Dictionary – Victoria Regina et Imperatrix (VRI)
(Accessed 1 July 2015) * 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 an ...

version, introduced after his succession to the throne in 1901, displays his effigy in Field Marshal's uniform. The effigy, also created by De Saulles, is circumscribed "EDWARDVS VII KAISAR-I-HIND" (Edward VII, Emperor of India) in the

Hindustani language Hindustani (; Devanagari: , * * * * ; Perso-Arabic: , , ) is the '' lingua franca'' of Northern and Central India and Pakistan. Hindustani is a pluricentric language with two standard registers, known as Hindi and Urdu. Thus, the lang ...

. On this version the suspender is affixed to the medal by means of either the older double-toe or the later single-toe claw. Some King Edward VII medals were awarded up to April 1911, post-dating his death.Medal-Medaille Royal Naval Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, Edward VII issue, 1908–1910, attributed
(Accessed 1 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 Qu ...

version, introduced after his succession to the throne in 1910, shows the King in Field Marshal's uniform and is circumscribed "GEORGIVS V BRITT: OMN: REX ET IND: IMP:" (George V, King of Great Britain, Emperor of India). This version's suspender is affixed to the medal by means of the older double-toe claw. ;Reverse The reverse shows a palm and laurel wreath which supports a scrolled banner, bearing the inscription "FOR LONG SERVICE IN THE VOLUNTEER FORCE" in four lines. ;Ribbon The ribbon is the same as that of the Volunteer Long Service Medal, plain dark green and wide.

Discontinuation

Between 1899 and 1902, the medal was superseded by the

in the Dominion, the Crown Colonies, the British Protectorates and most Crown Dependencies.South African Medal Website – Colonial Military Forces
(Accessed 6 May 2015) It continued to be awarded to the

Isle of Man Volunteers The Isle of Man Volunteers was a nominal battalion of Britain's Volunteer Force formed during the 1860s and disbanded in 1920. Its service companies saw active service in the Second Boer War and World War I. During its existence, the battalion ...

until the 7th (Isle of Man) Volunteer Battalion was disbanded on 3 March 1920, and in

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

and

until 1930, when it was finally superseded by the Efficiency Medal.Mackay, J., Mussell, J.W., Editorial Team of Medal News, (2005), ''The Medal Yearbook'', page 225, (Token Publishing Limited)

References

{{South African military decorations and medals Long and Meritorious Service Medals of Britain and the Commonwealth Military awards and decorations of Australia Military awards and decorations of Canada Military awards and decorations of India 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 1896