Guide to eligible groups
The regulations governing the award of the Civilian Service Medal 1939-1945 (the medal) (as amended 26 July 1996) provide the conditions of service that need to be met to be eligible for the medal. The Honours and Symbols Section in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is responsible for ensuring all awardees meet these conditions, however, it is the Governor-General who actually approves an award. Once approved, a medal is engraved and sent by mail to the nominated address: either a postal address or to the office of a local Federal Member of Parliament or Senator, who can arrange a formal presentation ceremony.
Application processes for the medal
Administrative procedures
- Administrative procedures are in place to enable the Honours and Symbols Section to verify the service claims of awardees for the medal, and are necessary to protect the integrity of the award.
- It can take a few months to process a fully documented application.
- Verification of an awardee’s service is required. Although the Honours and Symbols Section doesn’t actually hold service records, it may be able to help applicants with verification of service, if required.
- The National Archives of Australia holds some records of various groups and may prove helpful in obtaining service details for use in the verification process.
Defence service validation
- Once applications are provisionally assessed as eligible by the Honours and Symbols Section, a check is made for any military service by the awardee.
- Where an awardee has a record of military service covering the same period as that being claimed for the medal, the application will be disallowed.
- Persons who had military service may in fact be eligible for, or have already received, defence awards. The Department of Defence can assist in determining someone’s eligibility for any such awards.
Governor-General's approval
- The Governor-General is the approving authority for the award of the medal. Schedules of eligible awardees are submitted to the Governor-General periodically for approval.
- Once an award is approved, the Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat at Government House arranges for all medals to be engraved with the awardee’s name as it was at the time of service in WWII (surname plus two first names only).
Medal presentation
- The option exists for a medal to be either sent (by mail) direct to the applicant’s postal address, or to a Federal MP or Senator who will arrange to make a formal presentation at a ceremony.
The 38 eligible groups for the Civilian Service Medal 1939-1945 are:
Women’s agricultural groups
| Group name | Qualifying service |
|---|---|
| Australian Women's Land Army (AWLA) | |
| Country Women's Association (CWA) Victoria ('Land Girls' Section) | Service must have occurred on a farm that was not the person's normal place of residence. |
| Country Women's Association (CWA) West Australia ('Land Girls' Section) | Service must have occurred on a farm that was not the person's normal place of residence. |
| Tasmanian Land Army (TLA) | Service must have occurred on a farm that was not the person's normal place of residence. |
| Women's Agricultural Security Production Service (WASPS) | Service must have occurred on a farm that was not the person's normal place of residence. |
| Women's Australian National Service (WANS) (Land Section - New South Wales) | Service must have occurred on a farm that was not the person's normal place of residence. |
| Women's Australian National Service (WANS) (Land Section - West Australia) | Service must have occurred on a farm that was not the person's normal place of residence. |
| Women's Auxiliary Transport Service (WATS) (Land Section) | Service must have occurred on a farm that was not the person's normal place of residence. |
| Women's War Service Council (WWSC) (Land Section - South Australia) | Service must have occurred on a farm that was not the person's normal place of residence. |
| Sydney University Women's Land Army (SUWLA) | Service must have occurred on a farm that was not the person's normal place of residence. |
Medical aids
| Group name | Qualifying service |
|---|---|
| Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) | Only those who did not go on to serve in the Army during the war. |
| Red Cross Aids | |
| Red Cross Service Companies | |
| Red Cross Emergency Service Companies | |
| Catholic United Services Auxiliary (CUSA) | Service by Voluntary Aid Auxiliary members only who did not serve in the Army during the war. |
Communication groups
| Group name | Qualifying service |
|---|---|
| Cable and Wireless Ltd (C&W) | Only for service in the Darwin area. |
| Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd (AWA) | Service by civilian personnel not inducted into the Armed Services (as members of AWA):
|
| Postmaster-General's Department | Only service as a telephonist while stationed on a live-in basis, at military camps in non-urban areas. |
Construction groups
| Group name | Qualifying service |
|---|---|
| Allied Works Council (AWC) | Only service at locations of war works or directly responsible for the planning, management or implementation of war works. |
| Government Contracting Organisations to the Allied Works Council (AWC) | Only service at sites of war works carried out for the Allied Works Council or a Commonwealth Department. |
| Civil Constructional Corps (CCC) | |
| Civil Aliens Corps (CAC) | |
| State Departments of Main Roads (DMR) | Only service at locations of war works carried out for AWC or Commonwealth Departments. |
| Federal Department of the Interior (DOI) (Works and Services Branch) | Only service at locations of war works. |
| Australian Army Aboriginal Labour Units | |
| Royal Australian Air Force Aboriginal Labour Units | |
| Army Engineering Service Branch (civilian organisation) of the Corps of Royal Australian Engineers (AESB) | Only service by civilian members at sites of war Works. |
Airfield ground staff
| Group name | Qualifying service |
|---|---|
| Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) | Only service as airfield ground staff in direct support of air operations or flying boat operations (excluding inspection visits) at (operational) airfields or flying boat bases. |
| Australian Civil Airlines and Aviation Support (includes QANTAS Empire Airlines Limited) | Only service by ground staff in direct support of air operations (excluding inspection visits) at (operational) airfields or flying boat bases. |
North Australia groups
| Group name | Qualifying service |
|---|---|
| North Australia Observer Unit (NAOU) (Civilian Guides) | Only civilian guides, not military members. |
| Drysdale River (Kalumbura) Mission | |
| Northern Territory Police (NTP) | |
| Commonwealth Public Service (CPS) | Only for service in the Darwin area. |
| Northern Territory Administration (NTA) | Only for service in the Darwin area. |
| North Australia Railway (NAR) | Only for service between Birdum and Darwin. |
| The ‘Black Watch’ Group at Delissaville Aboriginal Settlement | |
| Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Division | Only for service in the Darwin area. |
| Civilian Torres Strait Islands Military Support Group | Only service other than with the United States Army Small Ships Service. |
Assistance with medals
The Honours and Symbols Section can assist you with applications relating to groups eligible for the Civilian Service Medal 1939-1945. Where service is clearly of a military nature (AIF, RAN, CMF, VDC, etc), the Directorate of Honours and Awards in the Department of Defence will deal with eligibility requirements for Defence medals (see bottom of page for contact details).
Civilian Service Medal 1939-1945
The Honours and Symbols Section is responsible for processing applications for this WWII civilian award. Eligibility enquiries plus application forms and copies of the regulations governing the award are available from the following address:
Civilian Service Medal 1939-1945
Honours and Symbols Section
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
PO Box 6500
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Email: itsanhonour@pmc.gov.au
Tel: (02) 6271 5601
Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal
The Department of Defence is responsible for the processing of applications for the Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal (VLSM). Medal entitlements to the VLSM for accredited war correspondents, civilian entertainers and members of civilian surgical and medical teams who served in Vietnam during the prescribed period of that war should be directed to the Directorate of Honours and Awards (see below).
Defence Military Awards
For example, 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Pacific Star, War Medal, Australia Service Medal 1939-45.
Medal entitlements for both serving and former Australian Defence Force members (Navy - Army - Air Force) plus those who served as Volunteer Defence Corps members, remains the responsibility of the Department of Defence. All contact should be through the Directorate of Honours and Awards:
Directorate of Honours and Awards
Department of Defence
PO Box 7952
CANBERRA BC ACT 2610
Email: YourCustomer.Service@defence.gov.au
Freecall: 1800 333 362