New Zealand War Service Medal

New Zealand War Service Medal
Obverse (top left) and reverse (top right) of the medal. Ribbon: 32mm, black with white edges.
Awarded by New Zealand
Type	Campaign medal
Eligibility	New Zealand forces.
Awarded for	Campaign service.
Campaign	Second World War 1939-45.
Description	Cupro-nickel disk, 36mm diameter.
Clasps	None authorised.
Statistics
Established	1946
Total awarded	238,000

The New Zealand War Service Medal (NZWSM)was a New Zealand campaign medal for service in World War II.

The NZWSM was approved in 1946, and was awarded to members of the New Zealand armed forces, the National Military Reserve, and the Home Guard. The NZWSM was awarded in addition to the standard Commonwealth campaign awards for World War II.

The NZWSM was awarded for 28 days' full-time aggregated service or six months' part-time aggregated service between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. Service brought to an end by death on duty, or due to wounds sustained on duty, or honourable discharge as a result of such wounds, automatically qualified for award of the medal.^[1] Some 238,000 medals were issued.^[1]

This medal, the reverse and mount of which were designed by the historian and typographer Dr John Beaglehole and the wood engraver E Mervyn Taylor, was the first distinctively ‘New Zealand' campaign medal, which was emphasised by the use of the fern leaf motif on the reverse and the national colours of black and white in the ribbon. The use of the fern leaf motif was made at the request of the Labour party cabinet who wanted 'a fern leaf like on the All Blacks' jersey'.^[2]

The NZWSM was issued unnamed.

Clasps

None authorised

Notes

1 2 British Battles and Medals, p257
↑ Tim Beaglehole, A life of J C Beaglehole: New Zealand scholar (Wellington: Victoria University Press, 2006), pp. 299-300.

Bibliography

Mackay, J and Mussel, J (eds) - Medals Yearbook - 2005, (2004), Token Publishing.
Joslin, Litherland, and Simpkin (eds), British Battles and Medals, (1988), Spink

External links

New Zealand campaign medals

19th century	New Zealand Medal

Second Boer War	Queen's South Africa Medal • King's South Africa Medal

World War One	1914–15 Star • British War Medal • Victory Medal Mercantile Marine War Medal •

World War Two	1939–1945 Star • Atlantic Star • Arctic Star • Air Crew Europe Star • Africa Star • Pacific Star • Burma Star • Italy Star • France and Germany Star • Defence Medal • War Medal • New Zealand War Service Medal (1939–45)

General Service	Naval General Service Medal (1915–62) • General Service Medal (1918–62) • General Service Medal (1962–2003) • New Zealand Operational Service Medal (1945–present)

Post-World War II	New Zealand Service Medal 1946–1949 (1946–49) • Korea Medal (1950–53) • Vietnam Medal (1964–73) • Rhodesia Medal (1979-1980) • New Zealand General Service Medal 1992 (Warlike) (1956–1991) • New Zealand General Service Medal 1992 (Non-Warlike) (1954–present) • East Timor Medal (1999–2006)

21st century	NZGSM 2002 (Solomon Islands)(2000–2013) • NZGSM 2002 (Afghanistan) – Primary Operations Area (2001–present) • NZGSM 2002 (Afghanistan) – Secondary Operations Area (2001–present) • NZGSM 2002 (Iraq 2003) (2003–present) • NZGSM 2002 (Timor-Leste) (2006–2012) • NZGSM 2002 (Korea) (2001–present) • NZGSM 2002 (Counter-Piracy) (2009–present) • NZGSM 2002 (Iraq 2015) (2014–present) • NZGSM 2002 (Greater Middle East) (2014–present)

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