| Meritorious Service Medal (Natal) | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Meritorious_Service_Medal_(Natal)_Victoria.jpg) | |
| Type | Military long service medal |
| Awarded for | 21 years meritorious service |
| Country | &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Flag_of_the_Natal_Colony_(1875%E2%80%931910).svg){kind=small} Colony of Natal |
| Presented by | the Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Empress of India |
| Eligibility | Warrant officers and senior non-commissioned officers |
| Status | Discontinued in 1913 |
| Established | 1897 |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Ribbon_-_Army_Long_Service_and_Good_Conduct_Medal_(Natal).png){kind=small} Ribbon Bar | |
| Order of wear | |
| Next (higher) | &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg){kind=small} Queen Elizabeth II's Long and Faithful Service Medal |
| Equivalent | Meritorious Service Medal (United Kingdom)&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Flag_of_the_Cape_Colony_(1876%E2%80%931910).svg){kind=small} Meritorious Service Medal (Cape of Good Hope)&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg){kind=small} Meritorious Service Medal (New Zealand)&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Flag_of_South_Africa_(1928-1982).svg){kind=small} Meritorious Service Medal (South Africa) |
| Next (lower) | Accumulated Campaign Service Medal |
In May 1895, Queen Victoria authorised Colonial governments to adopt various British military medals and to award them to members of their local permanent military forces. The Colony of Natal introduced this system in August 1895 and, in 1897, instituted the Meritorious Service Medal (Natal).[1]
The medal is a distinctive Colonial version of the British Meritorious Service Medal. It was coupled to a Meritorious Service Annuity and was awarded in limited numbers, usually upon retirement, to selected warrant officers and senior non-commissioned officers of the Natal Police who had completed twenty-one years of meritorious service.[1]
- ^ a b South African Medal Website – Colonial Military Forces (Accessed 6 May 2015)