History
The Meritorious Service Medal began in 1845 as a British Army award for warrant officers and sergeants of long and meritorious service, carrying a small annuity that kept its numbers deliberately low. From 1895 it was extended to the local permanent forces of the Empire, and the Australian colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania each awarded their own version with the colony's name on the reverse and a distinct ribbon. After Federation these were replaced from 1903 by a single Commonwealth issue, its reverse inscribed COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.
The George VI issue spans 1936 to 1952. Its Australian recipients were the long serving warrant officers and senior sergeants of the permanent forces whose careers carried through the Second World War: the men who raised, trained and administered an army of hundreds of thousands, and whose two decades and more of exemplary service earned the crimson and green after the campaign medals were already on their chests. In family groups of this reign the medal typically sits at the end of a long row of 1939 to 1945 awards.
Design & ribbon
The medal
The medal is circular and silver, suspended from an ornate scroll bar. The obverse bears the crowned effigy of the reigning Sovereign; the reverse carries a small crown above a wreath surrounding the words FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE, with COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA above the crown on the Australian issue.
On this issue the obverse bears the crowned effigy of King George VI.
The ribbon
Crimson with twin dark green central stripes, the Australian issue's colours.
The ribbon of the Australian issue is crimson with two central stripes of dark green, distinguishing it from the United Kingdom medal's crimson with white stripes at the edges and centre.
Eligibility
The Australian medal was awarded to warrant officers and senior non-commissioned officers of the Australian Military Forces for long and meritorious service.
- Recipients were generally required to hold the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal first, with published qualifying periods varying across eras and references between 21 and 24 years of service;
- Recommendations were made through commanding officers, and the number of awards remained small: only a few thousand were made across the life of the series;
- The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet records the medal as awarded until 1975, when the Imperial long service awards were replaced by the National Medal, while the Australian War Memorial catalogues the series as late as 1985. The recipient's record is the 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 issue cover?
Awards made between 1936 and 1952, the reign of King George VI, spanning the Second World War and its aftermath.
Who received it?
Warrant officers and senior non-commissioned officers of the Australian Military Forces with long and meritorious service, generally after the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and more than two decades in uniform.
Why is it rare?
The medal descends from an annuity based award whose numbers were always limited, and only a few thousand Australian awards were made across the whole life of the series.
Is this the MSM with the post-nominal?
No. The post-nominal attaches to the separate 1916 to 1928 wartime use of the Imperial medal on the United Kingdom ribbon; the Australian long service medal carries none.
How do I tell an Australian award from a British one?
By the COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA reverse and the crimson ribbon with two central dark green stripes.
What replaced it?
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet records the Imperial long service awards as replaced by the National Medal from 1975, though examples of the series are catalogued into the 1980s.