King’s/Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct badge.
Origins: Created primarily to serve as a civilian equivalent to a Mention in Dispatches, the first awards of this commendation were made in December 1939. During the First World War, various civilians were commended officially by the British government. However, there was no consistency to the award, nor was there an insignia of any type.
Criteria: Awarded for brave conduct worthy of recognition but not meeting the requirement for bestowal of a gallantry decoration such as the George Medal.
Insignia: For those serving in a uniformed service, a Mention in Dispatches oak leaf was awarded. Civilians received an oval-shaped, gold-coloured badge 22 mm wide and 40 mm tall (initially made of plastic!) displaying two laurel braches terminating with the Royal Crown at the top, in the centre a broad sword and a plaque bearing the text FOR BRAVE CONDUCT. After the Second World War, this badge was replaced with a silver spray of laurel leaves worn on the ribbon of the Defence Medal or on the lapel in the absence of an associated medal.
Postnominals: None.
Number of Awards to Canadians: 28 King’s and 96 Queen’s Commendations.
King’s/Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct ribbon insignia.
King’s/Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air
King’s/Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air.
Origins: The King’s/Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air was created in 1943.
Criteria: Awarded for brave conduct worthy of recognition but not meeting the requirement for bestowal of a gallantry decoration such as the Air Force Cross or Air Force Medal.
Insignia: A bronze Mention in Dispatches oak leaf was worn on the relevant war service medal ribbon or on the lapel in the absence of an associated medal. Civilians awarded this commendation received a silver-coloured badge composed of a pair of stretched wings with the text FOR VALUABLE SERVICE atop an Imperial Crown.
Postnominals: None.
Number of Awards to Canadians: 319.
6
IMPERIAL CAMPAIGN MEDALS
Although medals commemorating service in battle are known to date back to the time of Elizabeth I and the defeat of the Spanish Armada, tthese awards were not intended for wear. The first broadly distributed war medal intended for wear by both officers and men was the Waterloo Medal issued in 1815, which set the pattern for the various service medals awarded throughout the Commonwealth to this day. The British Naval General Service Medal and Military General Service Medal, both established in 1847, served as models for the multi-engagement war and operational service medals that came after. A few earlier issues, such as the Sutlej Medal, are of a similar design, but the former two medals were the most widely awarded.
The Naval and Military General Service Medals, though not awarded solely for service in North America, were the first modern-style medals awarded to Canadians or to others for service in what would become Canada. The first British medal awarded for service solely in Canada was the North West Canada Medal, instituted in 1885 for those who had served in quelling the North-West Rebellion. The obverse of the medal displayed a youthful Queen Victoria, while the reverse featured a wreath of maple leaves and the inscription NORTH WEST CANADA 1885. It was an austere design, but it set a precedent in Canada as the first true Canadian military service medal. It was largely a Canadian expedition, one in which few British officials were involved.[1]
The striking of the medal was initiated by Lord Lansdowne, Canada’s governor general. On May 19, 1885, Lansdowne suggested to the British government that a medal recognizing service in the rebellion should be struck, since it “would have an excellent effect upon the spirit of the Canadian forces.”
Just over a month later, on June 22, 1885, the British government agreed that such a medal could be struck on the condition that the cost was borne by the Canadian government.[2] Lansdowne was elated with this news, though much less satisfied that the Canadian government was to be saddled with the bill. He viewed the cost as incidental, given the “results which would follow from the free gift of the medal.” It was ultimately agreed that the imperial government would pay for the honour.
The governor general even took an interest in the design: “The obverse will, I assume, represent the Queen’s head, and the reverse might be engraved with a design distinctive of the Dominion.”[3] Lansdowne later suggested that the reverse of the medal “should be ornamented with a wreath of Maple leaves, in the centre of which the words ‘The North West 1885’ might be impressed.”[4] While the governor general developed the concept, it was Allan Wyon of the Royal Mint who completed the formal design.
The Canadian government, never having been involved with creating a military medal, briefly considered having the medal struck in bronze, though Lansdowne insisted that silver be used. They were unaware that bronze medals were usually reserved for non-European troops serving in India.
An order-in-council was issued on February 16, 1887, after Queen Victoria authorized the design and striking of the medal. With this Canada’s first military medal was born. The design and purpose of such service medals has remained largely the same since the striking of the North West Canada Medal with minor variations. Even the eighteen-month period that it took to get the medal approved is comparable to the time it takes to have a modern Canadian award developed from a rough concept to a completed design.
The next medal with a connection to Canada was the aptly named Canada General Service Medal, sanctioned in 1899 by Queen Victoria for those who had served in the 1866 and 1870 Fenian Raids as well as in the 1870 Red River Rebellion, Riel’s first uprising. The obverse depicted Queen Victoria, while the reverse contained a spreading wreath of maple leaves and the Canadian Red Ensign. Most significantly, the ribbon comprised three equal stripes: red, white, and red, possibly taken from the flag used by the Royal Military College of Canada, founded in 1876.
The Canada General Service medal inaugurated another tradition, the creation of medals many decades after the actual operation or event, there having been a thirty-three year gap between the first Fenian Raid and the issue of the medal.
Chapter 23 provides a detailed account of Canada’s post-1967 war and service medals, while this chapter focuses on those awarded prior to the creation of the modern Canadian honours system. Each of the following entries includes a short description of the conflict in question: these are by no means complete accounts of each war, battle, or engagement; however, they are intended to provide some background to the events recognized with each medal and or clasp.
The Military General Service Medal, 1793–1814
Military General Service Medal obverse.
Origins: The Military General Service Medal was instituted on June 1, 1847, to recognize officers and men who served in a diverse array of wars and engagements that took place between 1793 and 1850. Of the twenty-nine clasps awarded with this medal, twenty-one were awarded for service in the Peninsular War (1808–14) and three were awarded for service in the War of 1812, specifically for engagements at Fort Detroit, Chateauguay, and Crysler’s Farm. It is the three War of 1812 clasps and battles that make this medal of great interest to Canadians. An attempt was made to have clasps created for other key battles, namely, Queenston Heights, Lundy’s Lane, Ogdensburg, Lacolle, and Plattsburg. However, the War Office refused.
Hostilities began on June 18, 1812, when the United States declared war on Britain — and thus Britain’s