New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal
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| New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal | |
|---|---|
| Awarded by New Zealand | |
| Type | Long Service Award |
| Eligibility | 1887-1891 non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the New Zealand Volunteers upon completion of 16 years continuous service 1891 the statutes of the award were amended to include Volunteer officers upon completion of 20 years broken service 1917 further amendment made to cover Territorial officers who were permanently appointed to the New Zealand Staff Corps or Permanent Staff 1920 extended to all members of the New Zealand Military Forces. [1] [2] |
| Awarded for | "Long and Efficient Service" |
| Status | Rendered obsolete 23 September 1931 [2] |
| Description | Silver disk, 37mm in diameter |
| Clasps | none |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1st January 1887 |
| First awarded | to a member of the 1st Westland Rifle Volunteers and was recorded on 8th September 1887 [3] |
| Last awarded | to a member of the Canterbury Regiment on 8th June 1944 [3] |
| Total awarded | 2384 awards were made [1] 285 awarded to volunteers [3] |
The New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal was the earliest medal awarded in New Zealand for long and efficient services, being issued between 1st January 1887 to 22nd September 1931. Eligibility for the medal changed over time (see infobox) and, from 1920, could be issued to all members of the New Zealand Military Forces for 16 or 20 years of service (active service between 5th August 1914 and 28th January 1919 counted as double qualifying time).[3]
Contents |
[edit] Detailed Description[1]
Obverse: A Royal Crown superimposed over a crossed sword and taiha (Maori spear) and surrounded by fern fronds.
Reverse: The inscription "FOR LONG AND EFFICIENT SERVICE".
Size: 37mm in diameter.
Ribbon: 38mm wide, crimson in colour with two central white stripes (stripes added in 1917).
Suspension: The ribbon is threaded through a 14mm diameter ring, which passes through a loop fixed to the top of the piece. The ring will move forwards and backwards.
[edit] Varieties[2]
There are three varieties;
The first variety was manufactured by S. Kohn, Wellington, and marked S. KOHN between the ends of the ribbon bow. The second variety was manufactured by G.T. White, Christchurch and Wellington, and is found either unmarked, or marked with G.T. WHITE between the ends of the ribbon bow. The third variety was manufactured by William Dibble, Gerrards, London in the early 1950's. These medals were cast frosted silver second type medals, with very small suspension rings, sterling silver hallmarks and WJD on the bottom of the reverse. Intended primarily as replacement medals, most were sold to collectors with SPECIMEN impressed on the rim.
