The Canadian Honours System. Christopher McCreery
the Canada Medal would be awarded for outstanding service and not to those already in the highest positions. When Arnold Heeney, clerk of the Privy Council from 1940 to 1949 and Canada’s most senior public servant during the Second World War, suggested that the ACC had already prepared to proceed with the awards, Mackenzie King recounted that
Canada Medal reverse.
this got under my skin at once and I said it was the strongest of reasons why we should not proceed any further; that I objected altogether to these matters being forced on the Cabinet; that nothing should be done…. [I]t would have been a scandal to permit this kind of thing to mar the face of the Government with the problems that are being confronting it at this time…. Perhaps the country itself will have little comment on the decision we have made. On the other hand, had we continued with the granting of decorations when there is no time to consider them, we would have a very bitter opposition aroused against us from coast to coast and in Parliament itself.[10]
This was a distinctively inauspicious beginning for the Canada Medal.
Unlike 1943, there was no 1944 New Year’s Honours List, or 1944 King’s Birthday Honours List, and thus the newly minted Canada Medal had no outlet to be awarded. Finally, in December 1945, the prime minister announced that there would be a forthcoming Honours List on Dominion Day 1946. Again it was widely expected that the Canada Medal would be awarded, along with the various levels of the Order of the British Empire and the British Empire Medal. Prior to the ACC soliciting nominations for honours from various government departments, the military, and civilian organizations, a notice was sent to all deputy ministers and eventually to the press, stating: “The Government’s intentions with respect to the award of the Canada Medal and the establishment of a distinctive Canadian Order will be announced in due course.[11]
Again the Canada Medal was quashed, and it seemed as though it would never be awarded. Prime Minister Mackenzie King recorded in his diary:
I told the Cabinet I had never experienced more pain and anguish over any public matter than I have on anything that had to do with decorations and honours. I said that personally I was against them and upon conviction, for honours that were done one, multitudes were ignored who are more worthy.[12]
Canada Medal nomination form.
Without support from the prime minister, the entire project remained moribund. As soon as the last Canadian civilian honours list was issued in 1946, interest in the Canada Medal evaporated. It would be mentioned in the House of Commons on only a few more occasions. Neither Liberal nor Conservative governments were interested in the award.
With the creation of the Order of Canada on April 17, 1967, and the issuing of Order-in-Council 388, the Canada Medal ceased to be, never having been awarded to a single soul.
Origins: Intended to serve as a Canadian award of merit to replace all the imperial orders of chivalry, which had traditionally been awarded to Canadians for civil and military service.
Criteria: Awarded for “specially valuable and meritorious service of a high standard, faithful or zealous performance of ordinary duty not being sufficient itself. There must be either a) special services of a high degree of merit, such as discharge of special duties superior to the person’s ordinary work, or b) highly meritorious performance of ordinary duties where these have entailed work of a specially trying character, or c) display of a high degree of initiative and forethought.”
Insignia: A circular silver medal 36 mm in diameter, the obverse bearing an effigy of King George VI crowned, circumscribed by the text GEORGIVS VI D:G: BR: OMN: REX ET INDIAE IMP:. The reverse bearing the shield of arms of Canada surmounted by a Tudor Crown and surrounded by maple leaves, with a small scroll at the bottom bearing CANADA. The medal was designed by Thomas Shingles.
Suspender: An inverted fleur-de-lys holding a plaque bearing the word MERIT or MERITE in relief.
Ribbon: A 32 mm wide ribbon made up of equal portions of red, white, and red.
Bars: None.
Postnominals: CM or MduC.
Other: All medals were stamped with SPECIMEN on the rim.
Number of Awards: 7 English and 7 French specimens were struck by the Royal Canadian Mint.
5
IMPERIAL GALLANTRY DECORATIONS
For much of Canada’s post-Confederation history, the imperial gallantry decorations served as the primary mechanism for recognition of gallant or brave conduct. Their use tended to be restricted to wartime, namely, the South Africa War (1899–1901), the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and to a very limited extent, U.N. peacekeeping missions. Unlike other honours, many gallantry decorations and awards were accompanied by an annuity, the amount and criteria for which changed over the history of the decoration.
The development of imperial gallantry decorations and awards was sporadic and occurred over more than a century. Most honours were not created as part of an overall system; rather, they were established to fill an immediate gap and to ensure that brave service in a particular field was recognized. This is in contrast to the Canadian honours system in which developments have tended to come in tranches, beginning with the creation of the Decorations for Bravery in 1972, followed by the Military Valour Decorations in 1993. The Canadian honours system has benefited immeasurably from the experiences of our Commonwealth cousins.
Looking at the system of imperial gallantry decorations and medals today, it seems quite odd that the honours a serviceman was eligible for depended largely on his rank and in what service he was in. This is in stark contrast to the Canadian honours system where the same set of awards is used for all ranks and all services. Indeed, after the First World War and the introduction of the service- and rank-specific gallantry awards, namely, the Distinguished Service Cross, Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, and their medal equivalents the Distinguished Service Medal, Military Medal, and Distinguished Flying Medal, it was the wish of King George V that these awards, along with the Distinguished Conduct Medal and Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, be abolished and replaced with a pair of new honours. This had been recommended by the Report of the Committee on Honours and Rewards in War, which in 1923 had proposed the creation of a Distinguished Service Decoration and a Distinguished Service Medal. Despite the King’s strong support and that of the committee, the three services jealously resisted any changes.
Throughout the twentieth century there was an increasing requirement to recognize civilians who acted gallantly. It was no longer just members of the military who were eligible for official recognition. A variety of organizations in Britain such as the Royal Humane Society, Lloyd’s of London, and the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire, sought to recognize civilian bravery; however, there were no specific honours of the Crown bestowed to recognize similar acts until the Albert Medal was created in 1866. This was followed by the Edward Medal, the King’s Police Medal, the Empire Gallantry Medal, and then the George Cross and the George Medal. The Edward Medal is of particular interest since it was intended for labourers and those working in difficult circumstances at the bottom end of the social scale. The use of the Order of the British Empire and British Empire Medal to recognize gallantry is also worthy of consideration and has been examined in chapter 4.
In Canada the George Medal, Albert Medal, Air Force Medal, Edward Medals, King’s Police Medal, King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct, and King’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air were awarded sporadically during peacetime, though such awards were rare. The gallantry decorations and medals bestowed upon Canadians prior to 1967 differ from the modern Military Valour Decorations and decorations for bravery in that the branch of the military one served in — RCN, Army, or RCAF — and whether or not you were an officer determined the honour for which you were eligible. This was true for all of the gallantry awards, save the Victoria Cross,