ASAC

Rules and regulations of medal dressing

The Medals pages are intended as a guide only. Please post medal queries at the Medal & Awards Discussion Board located at the Forum.

War Medals are generally dressed to the left, horizontally pinned and suspended from a non-visible single bar or stitched to the garment if preferred. If worn on a jacket or coat, the garment should be buttoned. Ribbon lengths vary but they should not exceed 2.5 cm in length (1"). An extension of the ribbon is permissible to accommodate multiple clasps. The top clasp should be approximately 2.5cm (1") below the top of the ribbon. If more than two medals are worn, the base line should be horizontally aligned.

Medals are worn according to the Campaign period [left of centre, across to the left shoulder] with the first conferred being closest to the left of centre.

In instances such as the granting of both the Australian Service Medal 1945-1975, and the current ASM, the latter would fall second as the first recognises prior service.

Miniature medals should only be worn after 6pm at formal dress functions.

Wearing of Commemorative Medals (by private individuals)

The following is an extract from 'Sabretache', The Journal of the Military Historical Society of Australia, Vol X1X, April 1978, No 2. (page 129):

From the number of inquires, there is obviously misunderstanding or lack of knowledge presently causing confusion, about what AWARDS, private individuals may wear. In a nutshell, an individual, (in other than Uniform) may wear any award, Foreign, private (1E Club or Association) etc, that He or She has been awarded; there is no law on what may be worn, except of course for falsely wearing awards or medals, although there is a suggested order of procedure of wearing awards. A private citizen is not even bound by these rules of precedence and could wear his VC. at the end of his Service medals, without breaking the law. The Uniform automatically relate to the wearing of any awards to these regulations covering the wearing of a uniform.

Commemorative Medals

Tobruk Service Medal - Dunkirk Veterans Medal - Somme Commemorative medal - Belgium Medal - B.C.O.F. Medal - Bomber Command Medal - Hazardous Service medal [Atomic Veterans Association] - HMAS "Voyager" Survivors Medal - HMAS "Voyager" Rescuers Medal - 40th Anniversary, end of Korean War Medal - Front Line Infantry Service Medal - Gallipoli Star Anniversary Medal - National Serviceman Medal - Z Forces medal for Commando, Jaywick, Rimau - Philippines Service Medal - Malta Siege Medal - Arctic Convoy Medal - Russian Army 40th Anniversary Medal - Netherlands Commemorative Cross - Foreign Service Commemorative Medal

Medal Application Details

Application forms for new (or replacement medals) are available in Adobe PDF Format at the Australian Defence Force site. To access these forms and the statutory declaration required in relation to lost medals, please click here.

Australia

In March of 2003, the Directorate of Honours and Awards collocated it's several medal sections together at Tuggeranong, a regional commercial/business centre in Canberra.

Following the move to Tuggeranong, the Directorate has undertaken a number of initiatives to improve the system of processing medals applications.

One such initiative is to use the facilities of the defence service centre at Cooma, NSW to receive, register and acknowledge mail for the directorate.

Navy, Army, Air Force :

DIRECTORATE OF HONOURS AND AWARDS
LOCKED BAG 2003
COOMA NSW 2630

Merchant Navy :

Chief Mercantile Marine Officer
Department of Transport
PO Box 596
CIVIC SQUARE  ACT 2608

International

British service persons with service pre 1920 write to:

Army Medal Office  MOD(GS)
Records "Z" Section
Bourne Avenue
Hayes Middlesex
ENGLAND UB3 IRF

This is a handy link to the UK MOD medals office: United Kingdom - MOD Medals Office

British service persons with service 1920 - 2001 write to:

Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency
(Joint Personnel Administration Centre)
MOD Medal Office
Building 250
Royal Air Force Innsworth
Gloucester
GL3 1HW

The MOD Medal Office enquiry line is:
Tel: 01452 712612 ext 8149

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Medal Queries: please post your questions at the Medal & Awards Discussion Board located at the Forum.

The information contained in the medal descriptions has been gathered from a variety of sources both across the web, from print, and from oral submissions. It is updated as new information comes to hand.

If you are seeking an off-line source of medal information, ASAC Australia highly recommends the following book:
Williams R. D. 1981 1983 1990 Medals To Australia. Pocket Book Publications, Dubbo, Australia

All medal and ribbon images displayed on the ASAC Australia website have been digitally rendered.

Reproduction without prior written consent is prohibited.

For further information and permission details please contact us by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.