The New Zealand Service Medal 1946–1949 is a
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
campaign medal
A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a high ...
for service in
Occupied Japan
Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the
Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...
at the end of
World War II
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 ...
.
The medal was instituted in 1995 to recognise New Zealand military personnel who served in the
occupation forces
Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the
Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
between March 1946 and March 1949. In 2002 the Royal Warrant was amended to also recognise service between September 1945 and March 1946, including service by the crews of
HMNZS Gambia and
HMNZS Achilles
HMNZS ''Achilles'' was a light cruiser, the second of five in the class. She served in the Royal New Zealand Navy in the Second World War. She was launched in 1931 for the Royal Navy, loaned to New Zealand in 1936 and transferred to the new Ro ...
in Japanese waters.
[New Zealand Defence Force – Medal information page](_blank)
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The medal was awarded to all those, military or civilian, who served with the occupation forces.
* Members of the armed services were required to have completed 28 days of service in Japan,
* Members of the New Zealand Merchant Navy were required to have spent an aggregate of 28 days in Japanese territory or territorial waters, working with or alongside a New Zealand government contribution to the occupation forces,
* Aircrew of civilian airlines incorporated in New Zealand were required to have completed an aggregate of 48 flying hours in Japanese airspace,
* Civilians qualified if they had spent 28 days in Japan working with or alongside a New Zealand government contribution to the occupation forces.[New Zealand Defence Force – Text of the Royal authorisation warrant](_blank)
/ref>
Service terminated by death, wounds or disability due to service, withdrawal at the direction of the New Zealand Government for official reasons, or the award of a Royal Honour for gallantry, bravery, or meritorious service, qualified for the award of the medal, regardless of whether the length of service requirement had been met.
Clasps
None authorised
See also
* British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the British Commonwealth taskforce consisting of Australian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952.
At its peak, t ...
Notes
Bibliography
* Mackay, J and Mussel, J (eds) – ''Medals Yearbook – 2005'', (2004), Token Publishing.
* Laurie Brocklebank, Jayforce: New Zealand and the Military Occupation of Japan 1945–48, Auckland: Oxford University Press, 1997.
* Ian McGibbon (editor), The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Military History, Auckland: Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. 256–258.
External links
New Zealand Defence Force – Medal information page
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Zealand Service Medal 1946-1949
New Zealand campaign medals
Japan–New Zealand relations