History
The Efficiency Medal was instituted by Royal Warrant on 17 October 1930 as a single, unified long service award for the part-time and auxiliary military forces across the British Empire, Australia among them. It swept away the tangle of separate awards that had gone before, superseding the Volunteer Long Service Medal, the Militia Long Service Medal, the Special Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal and the Territorial Efficiency Medal. Australian awards carry a scroll bar on the suspender reading AUSTRALIA.
The George VI issue spans 1937 to 1952, and it belongs to the war generation: the militiamen whose peacetime obligation became mobilisation in 1939, who trained the expanding army, garrisoned the north and fought in the islands, then returned to the part-time Citizen Military Forces after 1945. It is the Efficiency Medal most often seen beside the campaign stars and the War Medal 1939 to 1945 in Australian family groups. Two obverse types exist within the reign, the legend changing after India's independence when the title of Emperor of India was dropped from the royal style.
Design & ribbon
The medal
The Efficiency Medal is an oval medal, struck in cupro-nickel, suspended from an ornate scroll bar. The obverse bears the crowned effigy of the reigning monarch with the corresponding Latin inscription; the reverse carries the words FOR EFFICIENT SERVICE. Australian awards carry the AUSTRALIA scroll bar on the suspender, the device that distinguishes them from United Kingdom and other Dominion issues.
On this issue the obverse bears the crowned effigy of King George VI; strikes from late in the reign omit the Indian imperial title from the surrounding legend.
The ribbon
Dark green edged in yellow, inherited from the Territorial Efficiency Medal.
The ribbon is dark green with a narrow yellow stripe at each edge, the same ribbon used for the superseded Territorial Efficiency Medal, carrying the visual tradition of the part-time forces forward into the new award.
Clasps
A clasp was instituted alongside the medal, awarded on completion of each further period of six years of efficient service.
Six Year Clasp
A clasp was awarded for each further six years of efficient service beyond the original qualifying period, worn on the ribbon of the medal. The clasp carries the crown of the reigning Sovereign, so its design follows the same reigns as the medal. When the ribbon alone is worn, a clasp is denoted by a rosette.
Eligibility
The Efficiency Medal was awarded to warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks of the part-time and auxiliary military forces; the equivalent award for officers was the Efficiency Decoration.
- The standard qualifying period was twelve years of efficient service on the active list of the part-time forces, with efficiency meaning the member met the training and attendance obligations of the citizen forces;
- Wartime service could count at an accelerated rate, recognising active service as a more demanding form of duty than peacetime training;
- Sources differ on when Australia ceased awarding the medal: the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet records the Imperial long service awards as replaced by the National Medal from 1975, while medal references commonly cite the Reserve Force Medal of 1982 as the Australian successor. The recipient's service record is the most reliable guide for an individual award.
Order of wear
The Imperial long service awards are worn together in the long service group, after the Australian long service medals and the Champion Shots Medal, in order of the date of the award, with the Service Medal of the Order of St John worn after all of them. The precise arrangement should be confirmed against the current Australian Order of Wear.
Frequently asked questions
What years does the George VI Efficiency Medal cover?
Awards made between 1937 and 1952, the reign of King George VI, spanning the Second World War and the rebuilding of the Citizen Military Forces after it.
Why do two George VI types exist?
The obverse legend changed after India's independence, when Emperor of India was dropped from the royal style, so earlier and later strikes of the reign differ in their inscriptions.
Did war service count towards the medal?
Yes, at an accelerated rate. Many recipients of this issue completed their qualifying period partly through full time war service between 1939 and 1945.
Who was eligible?
Warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks of the part-time forces, for twelve years of efficient service. Officers received the Efficiency Decoration instead.
How were further years recognised?
By a clasp for each additional six years of efficient service, carrying the crown of the reigning Sovereign, with a rosette on the ribbon bar when ribbons alone are worn.
What replaced the Efficiency Medal in Australia?
Sources record the transition differently, citing the National Medal from 1975 and the Reserve Force Medal from 1982. For a specific award, the recipient's documentation is the reliable guide.