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 V issue is the first of the series, awarded from the medal's institution in 1930 until the King's death in January 1936. Its Australian recipients were the citizen soldiers of the interwar Militia: the men who kept the part-time force alive through the depression years, parading at drill halls on lean budgets while the permanent army shrank around them. A George V Efficiency Medal in a family group usually marks service that began in the 1920s or earlier, and it is often the senior medal in groups that later gained the stars and medals of the Second World War.
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 V.
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The ribbon is dark green with a narrow yellow stripe at each edge, the same ribbon used for the superseded Territorial Efficiency Medal, carrying the visual tradition of the part-time forces forward into the new award.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 V Efficiency Medal cover?
Awards made from the medal's institution in October 1930 until the death of King George V in January 1936. The service it recognises typically reaches back into the 1920s.
Who was eligible?
Warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks of Australia's part-time forces, for twelve years of efficient service. Officers received the Efficiency Decoration instead.
What does the AUSTRALIA scroll bar mean?
Medals awarded to the auxiliary forces of the Dominions carried a scroll bar naming the country. The AUSTRALIA bar identifies an Australian award and distinguishes it from United Kingdom and other Commonwealth issues.
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.
Why do different versions of the medal exist?
The obverse carries the effigy of the reigning Sovereign, so the medal exists in George V, George VI and Elizabeth II issues depending on when it was awarded.
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.