WAR HONOURS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 48, 20 November 1919, Page 2

WAR HONOURS

ISSUE OF MEDALS

CONDITIONS OF AWARD

THEATRES OF WAR DEFINED

An interesting statement was issued by General Headquarters yesterday containiiii' tho conditions under which awards of war medals of the Great War will be ■made.. Tho details are as follow:—

I. British War Medal, lllM-l!).—This will be a silver medal. The riband will lie orange centre, watered, with stripes or white and black on each side, and with borders of royal blue. All members of tho-'New /.eland'Expeditionary Force who left Xcw_ Zealand, and who landed in a theatre of war, or who rendered approved service oveisea? will be entitled to the medal, it is intended that all New. Zealand: soldiers who lanned in England will receive this medal, providing tho fact that- they did not enter a theatre of war. is not attributable to their misconduct. This medal' will carry clasps., but it has not yet beon. decided whether, these will relate to localities or poriods, probably, the latter.

2. The. 19H-15 Star.—This star will be in bronze. The riband will be rco', white, and blue, shadod and watered. Tho ..1914-15 Star will be issued only to thoso who actually served on the establishment of a unit iii a' theatre of war, art defined in -paragraph 5, before midnight on December 31. 191,-), and who are not eligible for the 1914 Star.

(Noto: This riband is the facsimile of that issued with tho 1914 Star, on the riband' of which it has been proposed that some distinguishing mark bo fixed, lint, no authority has yet been given for this.'!

.3. The Victory Medal.—This medal will be in bronze. The riband will bp. red .in. the fontve with.green and violet, on each side, shaded to form colours of two rainbows. The Victory Medal will be awarded to those who actually served on thfi : ;estiiblishMent of a. uiiit 'in ii -.theatre of- wur,';!.and 'within-'tho'.' periods as' delinod in paragraph .'5,. between midnight on •August 4-5, 1914,"and 'itlijjhjght' hnr 11-12. 1918. .No clasp - will with-tho'meilal. ■ :

'"C.S.pe'tiial provision .lias 'been made in respect to all-three medals-to the effect that (illicers or'soldiers hot definitely ap'pointed on the 1 establishment of a .unit serving overseas are' not, by vi-rtueiof a visit to any theatre of operation's fdr a temporary purpose, to beconic eligible 1 for war medals. . . -

.1. The theatres of;war with.which-the ■ members of tho New Zealand' Expedi.tioniirv/Force .are .'cpncernctf are'.'denned as follow':—(a) Fnince, Belgium' between midnight' August 1-5,' 1914, and midnight • November -11-12,-191S; tb) Italy-between midniuht April 17-18, 1917, and midnight November -4-5,..'1918; (cj Greek M'acodonia. Serbia, Bulgaria, and European Turkey between midnight October 4-5, 1915. and midnight November 11-12, 191S; idl Gallipoli and Islands of Aegean Sea between midnight April 24-25, 1915, and midnight January 9-10,1916; (e) Egypt between . midnight November. 4-5, 1014, and midnight March 18-19, 1910; (f) localities covered bv operations conducted by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force- between midnight March 18-19,1910, and midnight October 31-November. 1, 1918 but excluding operations for which the Sultan's Sudan Medal has been awarded; (g) Mesopotamia from midnight November 5-0, 1014; (h) Persia from midnight November 5-(l.. 1914; (i) German Samoa on August 29. 1914,

It will tluis lie seen that practically every soldier who left New Zealand'will be entitled to the British War Medal, with (mo or more clasps. Those who actually entered a theatre of war as a bona iido member of --a unit; of the Expeditionary Force on active service in that theatre', will receive the Victory Medal in addition. If lie entfred 'that theatre ns specified before midnight/ ;,nn December 31, 1915. he ivill be entitled! to all three medals herein referred to. For instance, a soldier who was present at the lauding on Samoa on August 29. 1914, will be entitled to oil three medal?. A soldier who arrived at Samoa subsequent to that date, but prior to the armistice, ,will be entitled to. the Jiritish AVar Medal only, and will not receive this if Irs 'conduct wa= unsatisfactory. A soldier who landed in Egypt prior to December 31, "1915. is entitled to all three medals. A soldier- who (landed in Egypt between December Ml, 1015, and midnight. March 18. 1916, .will. -1« entitled to the British War -Medal and the Victory Medal, but if lui landejl iii Egypt subsequent to that date and'before the armistice, and did not take': part in actual operations, he will be eligible only for the British War Medal, and providing' his conduct is satisfactory. A soldier who embarked fronv.New -Zealand before the armistice, and .did not go to France, .is entitled 'to the -British War Medal only, providing his 1 eomliiM- was sat'sfnrior.v. If, however, he joined a unit in France or any other theatre of war he will be entitled to the British War .Medal am! the Victory Medal. (i. Officers''.and other ranks who have never been posted to a unit in the fie'd, and who, whi'e 'remaining on lie strength of the N.Z.F/.F. in the United Kingdom or other station abroad, have paid visits oil special duties to on Expeditionary Force in a ill "at re «f war will not be considered by reason of such visits lo have served in such theatre of war, and wili not therefore be entitled either the 1914-15 -Star, or the Victory Medal. 7. The medals nnnmviYjor service dnrin" the Great W>"\ '•r.V-th'oiv ribands, will" be wbrn.iri the :followin<r order:— fIV-.WU or 191-145 Slav:-Brit's"'. War Medal." jni-t-in': (:i) MevciiH 1 " Marine War Medal; Victory Medal. 8.. Soldiers entitled to the under Mh(\sp..coi|diti.c.ns nn.v now wear the an--prr.printe ribands but it is unlawful for ojiv verson t:> wear » u-ndal or riband to \vli : cli--ho : s -net, entitled, a-id nrosecution ■will follow "when cases of this nature am discovered. ~ 9. The Officer in Char™ 'N.X.F-F. T?o. cord? is the sole .authority for dfeidin" flu nim-bni" (if- nt'" l- i's-eafl) »ic:i'* , ~ r of Hi" F.Z.E.F. is ent'Oed to ree:e ; ve. Where individuals are in -doubt 'as'lo whrlh«r thev have riuiilifierHor pnrl-'eul'"- nvdn'* and ar" entitled to we*>r IV rib»r<!>! "f F; i"ie thev should n»'>lr d'reet lo the: ("lllVpr : n Charge. T 7..?i K. l?P r " lv ' ! -. l>"cord-= nffico, Wpl'ingtoP. Individuals -H Ik, aovyod in Uritiilv units am' pot in -t'l" NiZ.E.F- should anti'v ili'-ct- tr-' Hi» .O'lU-er in Ch-irge IRecords of the Unit with which ihev served.