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Category: Canada

The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem

The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem is a working order of charitably minded men and women established in 1888.

The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, and also known as the Order of St John or St John International, is a British royal order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by Queen Victoria and dedicated to St John the Baptist, an itinerant preacher in the early 1st century AD.

The order can be tracked back to the Knights Hospitaller in the Middle Ages. The Knights Hospitalle were a medieval and early modern Catholic military order, later known as the Order of Malta. A faction moved to Britain in the early 1830s and became associated with the founding in 1882 of the St John Ophthalmic Hospital near the old city of Jerusalem and the St John Ambulance Brigade in 1887.

The Order of St John is also known for the health organizations it has founded, such as St John Ambulance and St John Eye Hospital Group. 

The Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem Design

The insignia of the Order is a Maltese cross, or eight-pointed cross in white enamel set in silver-colored metal. The cross is embellished in each of its main angles with lions and unicorns, with a lion in the top left and bottom right angles. 

The insignia of a Bailiff or Dame Grand Cross consists of a breast star and a sash badge. The insignia of a Knight or Dame of Justice or of Grace is a breast star and a neck badge. The insignia of a Commander is a neck badge, the Officer insignia is silver and enameled white, and he insignia of a Member is also worn on the left breast but is bright silver without enamel.

The badges have a ring attached to the top through which the ribbon passes. The ribbon for all grades is black watered.

The Order of Military Merit (Canada)

The Order of Military Merit (CMM) is a Canadian national order established in 1972 to recognize conspicuous merit and exceptional service.

The Order of Military Merit (Ordre du mérite militair in French) is a Canadian military honor for merit, the second highest order administered on behalf of the Canadian monarch. The Order was created in 1972 to replace a grouping within the Order of Canada and recognize members of the Canadian Forces who have demonstrated dedication and devotion beyond the call of duty, achieving conspicuous merit and exceptional military service. 

The Canadian monarch is the fount of honor and is thus at the apex of the Order of Military Merit as its sovereign. The governor general of Canada serves as the fellowship’s chancellor and the chief of the Defence Staff as the principal commander. There are no limits to the population of any grade, and promotions are possible although rare.

The Order has three grades:

  • Commander: For outstanding meritorious service and demonstrated leadership in duties of great responsibility. 
  • Officer: For outstanding meritorious service in duties of responsibility. 
  • Member: For exceptional service or performance of duty.

The Order of Military Merit Design

The badge of the order is a blue-enameled, straight-end cross pattée.

The insignia is edged in gold and bears, on the obverse, a red maple leaf in its center, on a white background, surrounded by an annulus enameled red which bears the inscription “MERIT-MERITE-CANADA” in gold. The annulus is surmounted by the Royal Crown enameled in full colors.

The reverse is plain with the exception of an inventory number. The Commander’s insignia has a small link at the top, to which is attached a larger ring, and the ribbon passes through this for wearing around the neck.

The ribbon of the Order is blue and measures 38 millimeters wide.

The Order of Canada

The Order of Canada (CC) is a Canadian national order established in 1967 to recognize outstanding merit or distinguished service.

  • Time Period: Post-WW2
  • Institution: 17 April 1967
  • Country: Canada
  • Terms: C.C. – O.C. – C.M.

The Order of Canada (Ordre du Canada in French) is a Canadian national order and the second highest honor for merit after the Order of Merit. This award is considered the centerpiece of Canada’s honor system and is designed to exemplify the highest qualities that can enrich the lives of citizens and contemporaries.

The three-tiered order was established in 1967 to coincide with the centennial of the Canadian Confederation, and the first members were appointed 1 July 1967. The award was designed to recognize the outstanding merit or distinguished service of Canadians who make a major difference to Canada through lifelong contributions in every field of endeavor, as well as the efforts by non-Canadians who have made the world better by their actions – or those who exemplify the order’s motto, “desiderantes meliorem patriam” (“They desire a better country“, a phrase taken from Hebrews 11:16).

The sovereign of the order is the reigning Canadian monarch. The Governor General administers the order on their behalf as Chancellor and Principal Companion. Thousands of people have been appointed to the Order of Canada, including scientists, musicians, politicians, artists, athletes, business people, film stars, and benefactors.

The Order of Canada Levels

The Order of Canada has three levels: Companion, Officer, and Member.

  • Companion: Awarded for outstanding achievement and merit of the highest degree. There can be a maximum of 15 Companions appointed each year (for a total of 150).
  • Officer: Awarded for the achievement of merit of a high degree, particularly in service to Canada or humanity as a whole. There can be a maximum of 46 Officers appointed each year.
  • Member: Awarded for distinguished service in or to a specific activity, field, locality, or group. There can be a maximum of 92 members appointed each year.

The Order of Canada Design

The badge of the Order is a stylized snowflake with six points and a red annulus at its center. The design of this insignia dates from 1967 and is credited to Bruce Beatty, C.M., S.O.M., C.D. 

On the obverse is a stylized maple leaf struck in fine silver, circumscribed with the motto of the Order, “Desiderantes meliorem patriam” (“They desire a better country”), surmounted by the Royal Crown (St. Edward’s Crown). The insignia is composed of three individual pieces: the snowflake, the annulus, and the maple leaf. The color is added to the badge by hand through a unique application of opaque and translucent viscous enamel. The reverse of the Order of Canada reads CANADA written within a circle as well as a serial number placed in a box below.

The ribbon of the Order of Canada is white, 38 mm wide, and has red edges (9 mm). If undressed, a maple leaf of red, gold, or silver is worn on the ribbon. There is also a miniature for wearing in evening dress.

The Order of Merit (Canada)

The Order of Merit (OM) is a Canadian order bestowed as a personal gift of the Sovereign. The Order has a military and a civil division.

  • Time Period: Pre-WW1
  • Institution: 26 June 1902
  • Country: Commonwealth Realms, Canada

The Order of Merit (Ordre du Mérite in French) is an order for the Commonwealth realms that recognizes distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture.

The Order was established in 1902 by King Edward VII (who ruled 22 January 1902 until his death in 1910) and admission into it remains the personal gift of its Sovereign. Edward VII founded the Order of Merit as a means to acknowledge “exceptionally meritorious service in Our Navy and Our Army, or who may have rendered exceptionally meritorious service towards the advancement of Art, Literature and Science“.

The order is restricted to a maximum of 24 living recipients from the Commonwealth realms (plus a limited number of honorary members).

All members are awarded the right to use the post-nominal letters OM and wear the badge of the order. This honor is administered by the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood at St. James’s Palace in London in the United Kingdom.

The Order of Merit Design

The badge of the Order is an eight-pointed cross of red and blue enamel surmounted by the imperial crown. In the center, upon blue enamel and surrounded by a laurel wreath, is the inscription ‘For Merit‘, in gold lettering.

The insignia for the military division is differentiated by crossed swords placed between the angles of the cross of the badge.

The ribbon of the Order measures 40 millimeters in diameter and is divided into two stripes of red for the Order of the Bath and blue for the Order of the Garter.

The Cross of Valour (Canada)

The Cross of Valour (CV) is a Canadian honor that recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.

The Cross of Valour (CV) is a Canadian decoration and part of the Canadian system of honors. It’s the second highest award, surpassed only by the Victoria Cross and the highest honor available for Canadian civilians. The Cross of Valour was created in 1 May 1972 and recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.

Both Canadians and foreigners, living and deceased can be awarded the medal and receive the ability to use the post-nominal letters CV. 

The Cross of Valour Design

The medal is a cross with four equal limbs. It’s rendered in gold, with the obverse enameled in red and edged with gold.

On the center obverse is a gold maple leaf surrounded by a gold laurel wreath. On the reverse is the Royal Cypher of the reigning Canadian sovereign and a crown above. The words VALOUR • VAILLANCE are etched below, extending along the upper edge of the two lateral arms of the cross. The recipient’s name and the date of the incident are engraved underneath the motto.

This medallion is worn suspended from a red ribbon around the neck (for men) and below the left shoulder suspended from a red ribbon fashioned into a bow (for women). A miniature cross may be worn on the ribbon bar in undress.

The ribbon is light crimson and measures 38 mm in width.

The Military Medal (MM)

The Military Medal (or MM) was a military decoration established in 1916 and awarded for bravery in battle to personnel of the British Army.

The Military Medal (or MM) was a military decoration established in 1916 and awarded for bravery in battle on land. The award is given to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank.

The award had retrospective application to 1914, and was awarded to other ranks for “acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire“. It was discontinued in 1993 when it was replaced by the Military Cross, which was extended to all ranks, while other Commonwealth nations instituted their own award systems in the post-war period.

When the medal was first introduced, it was unpopular among regular soldiers wrote MM and DCM recipient Frank Richards who stated “the Military Medal, which without a shadow of a doubt had been introduced to save awarding too many DCMs. The old regular soldiers thought very little of the new decoration“.

Since 1918 recipients of the Military Medal have been entitled to the post-nominal letters “MM”.

The Military Medal Design Design

The medal is circular, struck in silver and measures 1.4 inches (36 mm) in diameter.

The obverse bears the effigy of the reigning monarch and an appropriate inscription. The reverse shows the inscription “FOR BRAVERY IN THE FIELD” in four lines, surrounded by a laurel wreath, and surmounted by the Royal Cypher and Imperial Crown.

The ribbon is dark blue, 1.25 inches wide with five equal center stripes of white, red, white, red, and white, each 0.125 inches wide. The suspender is of an ornate scroll type and the name and service details of the recipient were impressed on the rim of the medal, although honorary awards to foreign recipients were issued unnamed. Silver, laurelled bars were authorized for subsequent awards, with a silver rosette worn on the ribbon bar to indicate the award of each bar.

The Distinguished Service Cross (UK)

The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to officers for acts of gallantry during active operations at sea.

  • Time Period: Pre-WW1
  • Year of Institution: 15 June 1901 (as Conspicuous Service Cross, renamed 1914)
  • Country: Great Britain

The Distinguished Service Cross (or DSC) is a third level military decoration awarded to officers in recognition of an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy at sea. Ranks included officers of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy, and formerly also of other Commonwealth countries.

The award was created in 1901 as the Conspicuous Service Cross and awarded to warrant and subordinate officers, including midshipmen, ineligible for the Distinguished Service Order. In October 1914, the award was renamed the Distinguished Service Cross and eligibility was extended to all naval officers (commissioned and warrant) below the rank of lieutenant commander. In August 1916, bars were introduced to reward further acts of gallantry meriting the Cross.

In December 1939 eligibility was extended to Naval Officers of the rank of Commander and Lieutenant-Commander, in April 1940 to equivalent ranks in the Royal Air Force serving with the Fleet, and in November 1942 to those in the Army aboard defensively equipped merchant ships.

Recipients are entitled to the post-nominal “DSC”. Since 1979, the Distinguished Service Cross can be awarded posthumously.

The Distinguished Service Cross Design

The medal is a plain silver cross with rounded ends with a width of 43 millimeters (1.7 in).

The obverse has a circular center containing the Royal Cypher of the reigning monarch at the time of award surmounted by a crown. The reverse is plain apart from the hallmark, and the ribbon is attached via a hall-marked silver ring. From 1940, the year of issue was engraved on the lower limb of the cross, and since 1984 it has been awarded named to the recipient.

The ribbon has three equal stripes of dark blue, white, and dark blue. The ribbon bar denoties a further award is plain silver, with convex ends and a central crown.

The Canadian Memorial Cross

The Canadian Memorial Cross was first instituted in 1919 and awarded to mothers and widows of Canadian soldiers who died on active duty.

The Canadian Memorial Cross was first instituted by Order-in-Council 2374, dated December 1, 1919, and awarded to mothers and widows of Canadian soldiers who died on active duty or whose death was consequently attributed to such duty.

This gift of Canada was issued as a memento of personal loss and sacrifice on the part of widows and mothers of Canadian sailors, soldiers and airmen who died for their country during the war.

The crosses could be worn by the recipients anytime and were engraved with the name, rank and service number of the son or husband.

The Canadian Memorial Cross Design

The medal is in the form of a cross pattee, struck in silver and measures 32 millimeters in diameter.

The obverse shows, at the end of the upright, a crown. At the foot and the end of either arm is a maple leaf and in the center, within a wreath of laurel, is the royal cipher of the reigning monarch: GRI for King George the Fifth, GVIR for King George the Sixth, or EIIR for Elizabeth the Second. The reverse of the Cross is engraved with the name and service number of the individual commemorated.

The medal is suspended by a bar brooch, although prior to 1945 it was suspended from a light purple ribbon 11 mm wide.

The Distinguished Conduct Medal

The Distinguished Conduct Medal, or DCM, was established in 1854 and is the oldest British award for gallantry in the field by other ranks.

The Distinguished Conduct Medal, or DCM, was established in 1854, during the Crimean War, by Queen Victoria. It’s the oldest British award for gallantry in the field by other ranks (personnel who are not commissioned officers) of the British Army. The medal was also awarded to personnel of other Commonwealth Dominions and Colonies.

The Distinguished Conduct Medal ranked below the Victoria Cross, until its discontinuation in 1993 when it was replaced by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. Prior to its institution, there had been no official medal awarded by the British Crown in recognition of individual acts of gallantry in the Army. The Distinguished Conduct Medal was awarded with a gratuity, that varied in amount depending on rank, and given on the recipient’s discharge from the Army.

In May 1894, Queen Victoria authorized Colonial governments to adopt various military medals for awards to their local military forces. The Colony of Natal and the Cape Colony introduced this system in 1894, and the Transvaal Colony followed in 1902, while Australia, Canada and New Zealand also adopted the medal. However, only the Natal and Canada versions were finally awarded.

All awards of the Distinguished Conduct Medal were notified in the London Gazette and, during the First World War, citations were generally also included.

A bar was introduced in 1881 to be awarded in recognition of each subsequent act of distinguished conduct for which the medal would have been awarded.

The Distinguished Conduct Medal Design

The medal is struck in silver and is a disk measuring 36 millimeters (1.4 inches) in diameter and 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) thick.

The original obverse shows a Trophy of Arms, designed by Benedetto Pistrucci, which incorporates a central shield bearing the Royal Coat of Arms without any inscription. From 1902, after the accession of King Edward VII, the effigy of the reigning monarch replaced the trophy of arms, with the respective titles of the monarch inscribed around the perimeter. There were eight variants of the obverse:

  • King Edward VII – “EDWARDVS VII REX IMPERATOR”.
  • King George V, bareheaded – “GEORGIVS V BRITT: OMN: REX ET IND: IMP:”.
  • King George V, crowned – “GEORGIVS•V•D•G•BRITT•OMN•REX•ET•INDIÆ•IMP•”.
  • King George VI – Two versions: “GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR OMN REX ET INDIAE IMP:” and “GEORGIVS VI DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF:”.
  • Queen Elizabeth II – Two versions,: “ELIZABETH II D:G:BR:OMN: REGINA F:D:” and “ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F.D”.

The reverse is smooth, with a raised rim and the inscription “FOR DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT IN THE FIELD” in four lines, underlined by a laurel wreath between two spear blades.

The suspender is an ornamented scroll. The ribbon is 32 millimeters wide and dark crimson, with a 10 millimeters wide navy blue band in the center. All medals awarded bear the recipient’s number, rank, name and unit on the rim.

The Distinguished Flying Cross and Medal (UK)

The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) was established in June 1918 for officers and warrant officers of the RAF for acts of valor and courage.

The Distinguished Flying Cross (or DFC) was established in June 1918, shortly after the formation of the Royal Air Force (RAF), for officers and warrant officers of the RAF for “an act or acts of valor, courage, or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy“.

The DFC now serves as the third-level award for all ranks of the British Armed Forces for exemplary gallantry in active operations against the enemy in the air, not to the standard required to receive the Victoria Cross or the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. All awards of the DFC are announced in the London Gazette.

In March 1941 eligibility for the DFC was extended to Naval Officers of the Fleet Air Arm, and in November 1942 to Army officers, including Royal Artillery officers serving on attachment to the RAF as pilots-cum-artillery observers. Posthumous awards were permitted from 1979. The DFC had also been awarded by Commonwealth countries but by the 1990s most had established their own honors systems and no longer recommended British honors.

Recipients are entitled to use the post-nominal letters “DFC”.

The Distinguished Flying Cross and Medal Design

The Cross

The decoration is a cross flory, 2.125 inches (54.0 mm) wide and was designed by Edward Carter Preston. The horizontal and bottom bars are terminated with bumps, the upper bar with a rose.

Its obverse features airplane propellers, superimposed on the vertical arms of the cross, and wings on the horizontal arms. In the center is a laurel wreath around the RAF monogram, surmounted by a heraldic Imperial Crown. The reverse is plain, except for a central roundel bearing the reigning monarch’s cipher and the date ‘1918’. 

The ribbon is 1.25-inch (32 mm) wide. Originally white with deep purple broad horizontal stripes, it was changed in 1919 to the current white with purple broad diagonal stripes. The ribbon bar is silver, with the Royal Air Force eagle in its center. The suspender is straight and decorated with laurel wreaths.

Originally unnamed, the WW2 crosses usually have the year of issue engraved on the reverse of the lower limb.

The Medal

The Distinguished Flying Medal is an oval struck in silver and measures 42 mm tall and 34 mm wide.

The obverse features the sovereign’s effigy, while the reverse shows Athena Nike seated on an aeroplane, with a hawk rising from her hand. The medal was originally undated, but the date 1918 was added to the reverse with the advent of George VI obverse.

The medal is suspended by a pair of wings from a straight bar. The ribbon was originally purple and white with horizontal stripes, but since July 1919 it changed to thirteen diagonal stripes alternating white and purple.

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