A Collection of Medals Featuring The Efficiency Medal in its Various Forms in the UK and India
Last Site Update 10/06/25
New Items: WW2, EM(T) & EM(TAVR) Group, worked at Bletchley Park: EM(T) [1982] 52nd Lowland Vol: Silver Jubilee 1977 & EM(T)[1982] LI: EM(TAVR) & Clasp to R.M.R.E.: Golden Jubilee, EM(TAVR) & VRSM Trio: GV EM(M): EM(AER) RPC: GSM Near East & EM(AER): WW2, Korea and EM(TAVR) Group to RA & OTC: GSM Malaya, EM(TAVR) and Special Constabulary LS Trio: GSM Malaya, EM(AER) and EM(TAVR) Trio: EM(TAVR) with Clasp & Cadet Forces Medal, served with SAS:
History and Description
History
The Efficiency Medal was instituted to replace the five Long Service Awards being awarded in the UK and across the Empire prior to 1930, these are:
Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal
The Territorial Efficiency Medal
Volunteer Long Service Medal
Special Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
Militia Long Service Medal
All these medals had various and differing regulations for their award and the desire to standardise an award was a very high driver to issue The Efficiency Medal. For further information, see the Genealogy of the Efficiency Medal.
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On the 23rd September 1930 the Royal Warrant was issued creating the Efficiency Medal in two distinct form for the UK with the scrolls, Militia and Territorial also allowing for scrolls bearing the names of countries, dominions and protectorates throughout the Empire and latterly the Commonwealth.
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In general the Efficiency Medal is awarded for 12 years service, Clasps for an additional 6 years and WW2 Service counting as double. The awards are subject to the recipient meeting the criteria laid down in the Royal Warrants at various times during the life time of variants of the Efficiency Medal.
This Royal Warrant has been amended several times, major changes are as follows:
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Extending the award to the woman of the Auxiliary Territorial Service, 4th April 1946 & Army Order 53 1946.
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Extending the award to officers who received emergency commissions during WW2, 10th May 1946 & Army Order 73 1946.
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Creation of the Efficiency Medal Army Emergency Reserve, Royal Warrant 5th February 1955 & Army Order 16 1955.
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Replacing the Efficiency Medals Territorial and Army Emergency Reserve with the Efficiency Medal T. & A.V.R. following the reorganisation of the Army Reserves in 1969. Royal Warrant 2nd June 1969 & Army Order 44 1969
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Replacement of Efficiency Medal T. & A.V.R. with the Efficiency Medal Territorial (1982) n.b. the scroll is only inscribed TERRITORIAL following the reorganisation of the Reserve Forces in 1982 , in 2000, this was issued until it was replaced by the Volunteer Reserve Service Medal.
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The Militia scroll was for members of the Supplementary Reserve, men with various skills from their professional lives that were immediately transferable to the Army in times of war or emergency, this award continued until 1952 when the Supplementary Reserve was replaced by the Army Emergency Reserve creating an Efficiency medal with a scroll bearing the same name and a new ribbon, this continued to be awarded until the creation of the T. & A.V.R.
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The first awards of the Efficiency Medal were announced in Army Order 36 of 1931 and listed 7 awards of the Efficiency Medal (Territorial), the first award of the Efficiency Medal (Militia) was announced in Army Order 32 of 1932, this was to 724181 WO1 C.G.R. Sewell Royal Signals, this is crossed out on AO marked "L.14 ERROS." Sewell does eventually receives his EM(M) in AO45 of 1950 overturning the cancelation in AO 32-1932 when he also received 3 Clasps, this made the actual first award being in AO 82 of 1932 to 4439250 Sjt. J. H. Laycock Royal Engineers.
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Description
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All these medals are an oval medal 32 mm wide and 39 mm high with the reigning Monarchs Effigy depicted on the obverse and "FOR EFFICIENT SERVICE" across three lines on the reverse except the South African medal that has a bilingual reverse across six lines, see below.
The medal is suspended by two laurel leaves surmounted by a scroll that is worded dependent on the branch of the reserve service that the recipient had served in the UK or the Country, Dominion or Protectorate of the reserve forces served in.
Obverses:
King George V 1930 - 1937
King George V Crowned Bust in Coronation Robes with the legend:
GEORGIVS.V.D.G.BRITT.OMN.REX.ET.INDIÆ.IMP
King George VI 1st Type 1937 - 1947*
King George VI Crowned Bust with the legend: GEORGIVS.VI.D.G.B OMN.REX.ET.INDIÆ.IMP
King George VI 2nd Type 1947* - 1952
King George VI Crowned Bust with the legend:
GEORGIVS VI DEI GRA BRITT: OMN:REX FID:DEF:
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*The change in GVI Obverse Legend was necessitated by Indian Independence on the15th August 1947, theoretically any awards post this date should be GVI 2nd Type but as various Army Medals Offices still had "old" stock of the 1st Type some awards made after that date are still of the 1st Type. Examples in the collection are King and Kelly
Queen Elizabeth II 2nd Type 1952 - 2000
Queen Elizabeth II Tudor Crowned Bust with the legend:
ELIABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID.DEF.
Some publications quote an Elizabeth II 1st Type with the legend ELIZABETH II DIE GRA:BRITT:OMN:REGINA F:D:+ which would have been issued between Her Majesties accession to the throne and the Coronation, but J.M.A. Tamplin does not suggest that this obverse exists in his book, and I have never seen one except in miniature.
Elizabeth II 1st Type Miniature
Queen Elizabeth II 3rd Type Canada Only Dates TBC
Queen Elizabeth II Crowned Bust with the legend:
ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA
Reverses:
All Issues except Union of South Africa
FOR EFFICIENT SERVICE over three lines
Union of South Africa Issues Only
VIR BEKWAME DIENS - FOR EFFICIENT SERVICE over Six lines
Clasps:
Tudor Crown 1934 - 1957
St. Edward’s Crown 1957 - 2000
Clasps are awarded for each subsequent 6 years for service following the award of the respective Efficiency Medal. The qualification is the same as the medal. n.b. WW2 service counted as double. Clasps are awarded only on recommendation from the unit Commanding Officer and all the other criteria for the award have been met.
The clasps are affectionately known a ‘King Crown’ and ‘Queens Crown’, this is essentially correct, but it should be noted that the latter type was not introduced until 1957 therefor it is possible to find Efficiency Medals with an EIIR Obverse and Tudor Crown Clasps, an example is shown here.
The genuine clasps are struck from silver and are finely detailed with small holes for sowing to the ribbon.
Width: 31mm
Hight: 5mm
Unfortunately there are several copy and fake clasps, they are generally not struck in silver, and not as well defined as the genuine clasps. Also look at the shapes of the lines on the clasp as generally do not follow the same shape and the stitching holes are generally larger than those illustrated above.
Ribbons:
All the ribbons for the Efficiency Medal are 32mm - 1 1/4 in wide
Efficiency Medal Territorial (1930 - 1969), Militia, All Empire, Commonwealth and Dominion Issues.
This ribbon is the same as the post 1919 Territorial Force Efficiency Medal and the Territorial Efficiency Medal. The Green represents the Volunteers and comes from the Volunteer Long Service Medal and the Yellow represents the Yeomanry and is taken from the Yeomanry Long Service Medal.
Honourable Artillery Company Ribbon for Efficiency Medal Territorial, T & A.V.R., Territorial (1982).
The Honourable Artillery Ribbon was granted this special ribbon in 1906 by King Edward VII, the HAC Captain General, allowing the unit to wear this ribbon, based on His Majesty's racing colours, on their long service medals. This was also extended to those who had left the Regiment but who had completed more than half the qualifying period with the Regiment and were still a member of the 'Company'.
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A decision was taken following the Second World War by the Commanding Officers at the time that:-As the use of the HAC Ribbon is in the gift of the unit and not enshrined in any regulation and as many members of the H.A.C. had been transferred to other units through no fault of their own, that if they subsequently were awarded the Efficiency Medal or other long service award, they could still use the H.A.C. Ribbon. An example of the above is the group to Lt Col D R Kelly R.A. HERE
Efficiency Medal Army Emergency Reserve.
Efficiency Medal T & A.V. R., and Efficiency Medal Territorial (1982)
Following the formation of the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve and the creation of the EM(TAVR) this new ribbon was introduced. The Blue represents the Army Emergency Reserve, the Green the Territorial Army and the Yellow the Yeomanry.
Naming UK Issued Efficiency Medals:
All Efficiency Medals issued in the UK are named in impressed sans serif capitals in the following format until 1961: Note: No Lower Case Letters.
Medals: EM(M) EM(T) GV, GVI 1st & 2nd Type, EIIR until around 1961
NUMBER RANK . INITS . SURNAME. UNIT
2212597 SPR. J. W. MULLEY. R. E.
3761384 PTE. E. RUXTON. 7 - THE KING'S . R.
From around 1961 the full stops between letters of the Unit abbreviations were omitted.
EM(T), EM(AER) EM(TAVR) EIIR and any late issues of EM's from early 1961.
22268355 SGT. D. F. G. YATES. RB.
22657115 PTE. A. V. SQUIRREL. RAOC.
In late 1977 all the Efficiency Medals were issued without any full stops in the naming.
Medals: EM(TAVR) [post 1977], EM(T) (1982) and any late issues of EM's post 1982.
NUMBER RANK INITS SURNAME UNIT
W/808787 SGT J D HUNT RA
Parts of an Efficiency Medal:
Ribbon
Legend
Effigy
Suspender
Clasp
Scroll
Claw
Rim