John Chard Medal
| John Chard Medal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Awarded by the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms, from 1961 by the State President and from 1994 by the President | |
| Country |
  South Africa
|
| Type | Military long service medal |
| Eligibility | Members of the Citizen Force |
| Awarded for | Until 1986: 12 years service From 1986: 10 years service |
| Status | Discontinued in 2003 |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1952 |
| SADF pre-1994 & SANDF post-2002 orders of wear | |
| Next (higher) |
SADF precedence:
SANDF precedence:
|
| Next (lower) |
SADF succession:
SANDF succession:
|
 Ribbon bar |
|
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The John Chard Medal is a military long service medal which was instituted by the Union of South Africa on 6 April 1952. Until 1986, it was awarded to members of the Citizen Force of the South African Defence Force for twelve years of efficient service and good conduct. The period of qualifying service was reduced to ten years in 1986.
The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912 and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1958. On 27 April 1994, it was integrated with six other independent forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
The John Chard Medal was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II on 6 April 1952, during the Van Riebeeck Festival, to replace the Efficiency Medal and the Air Efficiency Award which had been awarded to members of the Citizen Force between 1939 and 1952. It was named after John Chard VC, the lieutenant in command of the supply depot at Rorke's Drift during the Anglo-Zulu War, when it was attacked by Zulus in January 1879.
The medal was awarded to all ranks of the Citizen Force for twelve years efficient service, not necessarily continuous. After a further eight years a recipient could qualify for the award of the John Chard Decoration (JCD). Upon being awarded the decoration, the recipient was no longer allowed to wear the medal.
From 1 July 1975, when the Good Service Medal, Bronze was instituted as the junior award in a new series of three medals for long service, for award to members of all three elements of the South African Defence Force, qualifying Citizen Force members who had not yet been awarded the John Chard Medal, could elect to receive the Good Service Medal, Bronze instead. Such members would thereafter be restricted to the series chosen.
The choice was therefore between, on the one hand, the new series of three medals, which would together eventually reward thirty years service and of which all three medals could be worn together, once awarded, and on the other hand the existing Citizen Force series of a medal, a decoration which entitled the recipient to the post-nominal letters JCD and, after thirty years, a clasp to the decoration, of which only the decoration (and clasp) could be worn once awarded. In addition, the choice entailed that a member who qualified for the award of a Good Service Medal, Bronze after ten years service would have to elect to wait another two years for recognition, should the John Chard series of awards be preferred.
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Wikipedia