THE 1914-15 STAR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 129, 25 February 1919, Page 6

THE 1914-15 STAR

RIBBON MAY BE WORN * , MEDALS NOT YET AVAILABLE A roll showing the names of all the New Zealanders entitled to receive the 1014-15 Star is in course of preparation. The decorations themselves are not available yet, and it appears that supplies will not reach New Zealand for some months. Many inquiries are reaching Defonce Headquarters regarding this Star, and the official reply is that authority has been given for all officers, warrant officers, noil-commissioned officers and men of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces who are entitled to the decoration to wear the ribbon, if they choose' to purchase it themselves. The service required to entitle a man to wear the 1914-15 Star must have been rendered in a recognised theatre of war between August 5, 1914, and December 31, 1915. The theatres of war have been defined" in gen'eral orders. Service at Samoa must have been rendered at the time of the original landing of the- New Zealand Forces there. In th? case of deceased men, the Star will be handed to the next-of-kin, .but it should be understood that. for this purpose the Inext-of-kin is defined by regulation. A soldier may nominate anybody he pleases as his "next-of-kin" for the purposes of Base Records, but under Imperial regulation, the Star soes to the nearest relative in the following order Widow, eldest surviving son, eldest surviving daughter, father, mother, eldest"" surviving brother, eldest surviving sister, eldest surviving half-brother, eldest surviving half-sister. The men entitled to ihe 1914 Star aro not eligible l'or the 1914-15 Star. The ribbon of the 1914-15 Star is red, white, and blue, shaded, and watered, similar to the ribbon of the 1914 Star. It is being worn already by some men. °