27 December 2011

Order of wearing and post-nominals

I'm often asked about the order of wearing of medals and the meaning of post-nominals (the letters after a persons name). I thought the best way to answer this was to reproduce the relevent document from the its an honour web site as published by Government House. The text didn't quite cut and paste well so I've aligned the award with the post-nominal.

  

THE ORDER OF WEARING AUSTRALIAN HONOURS AND AWARDS
Honours and Awards listed in the Schedule and Annexes in BOLD print are:

·         those within the Australian System of Honours and Awards;

·         those conferred by The Sovereign in exercise of the Royal Prerogative;

·         those within the Order of St John; and

·         foreign awards, the acceptance and wearing of which have been authorised by the Governor-General.
-                all imperial British awards made to Australian citizens after 5 October 1992 are foreign awards and should be worn accordingly.

Those Honours and Awards listed in the Schedule and Annexes in UNBOLDED print are Imperial awards.
THE ORDER OF WEARING AUSTRALIAN HONOURS AND AWARDS
THE SCHEDULE

VICTORIA CROSS  (1)           VC

George Cross                           GC
CROSS OF VALOUR              CV
KNIGHT/LADY OF THE GARTER    KG/LG
KNIGHT/LADY OF THE THISTLE    KT/LT
Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath    GCB
ORDER OF MERIT    OM
KNIGHT/DAME OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA  (2)       AK/AD
Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George   GCMG
KNIGHT/DAME GRAND CROSS OF THE ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER     GCVO
Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire     GBE
COMPANION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA    AC
Companion of Honour      CH

Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath    KCB/DCB

Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George  KCMG/DCMG

KNIGHT/DAME COMMANDER OF THE ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER  KCVO/DCVO

Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire  KBE/DBE

Knight Bachelor (NB: Confers title of “Sir” - no postnominals)
OFFICER OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA      AO
Companion of the Order of the Bath    CB

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George  CMG

COMMANDER OF THE ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER       CVO
Commander of the Order of the British Empire     CBE
STAR OF GALLANTRY      SG
STAR OF COURAGE          SC
Companion of the Distinguished Service Order        DSO
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS       DSC
MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA   AM
LIEUTENANT OF THE ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER    LVO
Officer of the Order of the British Empire    OBE
Companion of the Imperial Service Order    ISO
MEMBER OF THE ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER   MVO
Member of the Order of the British Empire   MBE
CONSPICUOUS SERVICE CROSS   CSC
NURSING SERVICE CROSS    NSC

Royal Red Cross (1st Class)     RRC

Distinguished Service Cross    DSC

Military Cross     MC
Distinguished Flying Cross   DFC
Air Force Cross    AFC
Royal Red Cross (2nd Class)    ARRC
MEDAL FOR GALLANTRY   MG
BRAVERY MEDAL   BM
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL    DSM
PUBLIC SERVICE MEDAL      PSM
AUSTRALIAN POLICE MEDAL    APM
AUSTRALIAN FIRE SERVICE MEDAL   AFSM
AMBULANCE SERVICE MEDAL    ASM
EMERGENCY SERVICES MEDAL   ESM
MEDAL OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA   OAM
ORDER OF ST JOHN  (3)                                                                                            
Distinguished Conduct Medal       DCM
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal    CGM
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (Flying)  CGM
George Medal      GM
CONSPICUOUS SERVICE MEDAL  CSM

AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MEDAL  (4)     AAM

Queen's Police Medal for Gallantry     QPM
Queen's Fire Service Medal for Gallantry    QFSM
Distinguished Service Medal        DSM
Military Medal    MM
Distinguished Flying Medal    DFM
Air Force Medal        AFM
Sea Gallantry Medal     SGM
Queen's Gallantry Medal    QGM
ROYAL VICTORIAN MEDAL     RVM
British Empire Medal    BEM
Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Service  QPM
Queen's Fire Service Medal for Distinguished Service      QFSM
COMMENDATION FOR GALLANTRY
COMMENDATION FOR BRAVE CONDUCT
Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct
COMMENDATION FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
War medals, campaign medals, active service medals and
    service medals
(see Annex 1)
POLICE OVERSEAS SERVICE MEDAL  (5)
HUMANITARIAN OVERSEAS SERVICE MEDAL  (5)
CIVILIAN SERVICE MEDAL 1939-1945
Polar Medal
Imperial Service Medal
Coronation, Jubilee, Remembrance and
    Commemorative medals
(in order of date of receipt)  (see Annex 2)
DEFENCE FORCE SERVICE MEDAL
RESERVE FORCE DECORATION        RFD
RESERVE FORCE MEDAL
DEFENCE LONG SERVICE MEDAL
NATIONAL MEDAL
AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE MEDAL

AUSTRALIAN CADET FORCES SERVICE MEDAL

CHAMPION SHOTS MEDAL
Long Service Medals  (6)
ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL SERVICE 1951-1972 MEDAL
Independence and Anniversary Medals (in order of date of receipt)
Foreign Awards (in order of date of authorisation of their acceptance and wearing)

Notes:

1.                  Refers to the Imperial Victoria Cross and the Victoria Cross for Australia.

2.         Provision for further awards at this level within the Order of Australia was removed
by Her Majesty The Queen on 3 March 1986 on the advice of the Prime Minister.

3.         Listed to indicate where any awards within the Order of St John should be worn; however, the Service Medal of the Order of St John should be worn as a Long Service  Medal after all other Imperial Long Service awards. Post-nominals within the Order of St John are not recognised as notified in the Governor-General’s media release of 14 August 1982.

4.         The Australian Antarctic Medal was known as the Antarctic Medal until
18 December 1997.

5.         Clasps to these medals should be worn on the ribbon in order of date of receipt
commencing from the bottom of the ribbon.

6.         Includes Imperial efficiency and long service awards.

General Notes:

The Unit Citation for Gallantry, the Meritorious Unit Citation and the Group Bravery Citation are not positioned in The Order of Wearing Australian Honours and Awards.  For members of uniformed services, they should be worn in accordance with the dress rules of the particular Service concerned.  Civilian personnel awarded the Group Bravery Citation should wear the insignia on the left lapel or left breast.  Should other honours or awards have been awarded, the Group Bravery Citation should be worn centrally, approx 10mm above these.

The insignia for The Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct is worn directly on the coat after any medal ribbons.

The Mention in Despatches is an Imperial award.  It is not positioned in the Order of Wearing Australian Honours and Awards.  The Department of Defence provides advice on the wearing of the emblem.


Annex 1 to
Schedule on the Order of Wearing
Australian Honours and Awards

WAR MEDALS, CAMPAIGN MEDALS, ACTIVE SERVICE MEDALS

AND SERVICE MEDALS  (1901 onwards)

South African War

Queen’s South Africa Medal
King’s South Africa Medal

World War I

1914 Star
1914-15 Star  (1*)

British War Medal

Mercantile Marine War Medal

Victory Medal

Naval General Service Medal 1915-62  (2* & 3*)
General Service Medal 1918-62  (2* & 3*)

 World War II

1939-45 Star
Atlantic Star  (4*)
Air Crew Europe Star  (4*)
Africa Star
Pacific Star  (5*)
Burma Star  (5*)
Italy Star
France and Germany Star  (4*)
Defence Medal
War Medal, 1939-45
AUSTRALIA SERVICE MEDAL 1939-45

Post-World War II

AUSTRALIAN ACTIVE SERVICE MEDAL 1945-1975  (3*)

Korea Medal

United Nations Service Medal for Korea  (6*)

Naval General Service Medal 1915-62  (2* & 3*)
General Service Medal 1918-62  (2* & 3*)
General Service Medal 1962  (3*)

VIETNAM MEDAL
VIETNAM LOGISTIC AND SUPPORT MEDAL  (7*)


Annex 1 (continued)

AUSTRALIAN ACTIVE SERVICE MEDAL  (3*)
INTERNATIONAL FORCE EAST TIMOR MEDAL
AFGHANISTAN MEDAL
IRAQ MEDAL
AUSTRALIAN SERVICE MEDAL 1945-1975  (3*)
AUSTRALIAN SERVICE MEDAL  (3*)
RHODESIA MEDAL


Notes:

1*.        Recipients of the 1914 Star are not eligible for the award of the 1914-15 Star.

2*.        The order of wearing of the Naval General Service Medal 1915-62 and General Service Medal 1918-62 (Army and Air Force) will vary from person to person depending on when the person earned the first clasp.  If the first clasp relates to service between World War I and World War II, the medals should be worn immediately after World War I war medals.  If the first clasp relates to service after 2 September 1945, the medals should be worn immediately after the United Nations Service Medal for Korea.

3*.        Clasps to these medals should be worn on the ribbon in order of date of receipt.

4*.        Only one of these three Stars could be awarded to an individual.  Should a person have qualified for two of these awards, the Star first earned is worn with the Clasp of the second Star.  Only one Star and one Clasp may be worn even if the person qualified for all three Stars.

5*.        Only one of these two Stars could be awarded to an individual.  Should a person have qualified for both the Pacific Star and the Burma Star, the Star first earned was awarded together with the appropriate Clasp denoting the service that would have qualified for the other Star.

6*.        Uniquely, although a foreign award, the United Nations Service Medal for Korea is worn immediately after the Korea Medal.  All other foreign awards for which official permission has been given to accept and wear are worn as Foreign Awards.

7*.        A person who has been awarded the Vietnam Medal, or who is eligible for the award of the Vietnam Medal, is not eligible for the award of the Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal.  These medals are of equal status.



Annex 2 to
Schedule on the Order of Wearing
Australian Honours and Awards

CORONATION MEDALS, JUBILEE MEDALS, REMEMBRANCE MEDALS

AND COMMEMORATIVE MEDALS (1901 onwards)


KING EDWARD VII’s CORONATION MEDAL
KING GEORGE V’s CORONATION MEDAL
KING GEORGE V’s SILVER JUBILEE MEDAL

KING GEORGE VI’s CORONATION MEDAL

QUEEN ELIZABETH II’s CORONATION MEDAL
QUEEN ELIZABETH II’s SILVER JUBILEE MEDAL
80th ANNIVERSARY ARMISTICE REMEMBRANCE MEDAL
AUSTRALIAN SPORTS MEDAL
CENTENARY MEDAL

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