Meritorious Conduct Medal
{{Short description|Rhodesian military decoration}}
{{Infobox Award
|name= Meritorious Conduct Medal
|image= File:RSR Meritorious Conduct Medal ribbon.png
|caption= Ribbon of the medal
|type= Medal
|eligibility= Members of the Rhodesian police, security forces and civilians.
|awarded_for= Brave and gallant conduct over and above the call of duty in a non-combatant capacity.
|campaign= Rhodesian Bush War.
|status= Abolished in 1981.
|description= Bronze medal bearing a portrait of Cecil Rhodes.
|clasps= Bronze clasp awarded for second award. No clasp ever awarded.
|post-nominals= M.C.M.
|established= 1970
|firstawarded= 1970
|lastawarded= 1979
|total_awarded= 93
|total_awarded_posthumously= 13
|total_recipients= 92 + City of Umtali (now Mutare)
|individual=
|higher= Bronze Cross of Rhodesia
|same=
|lower= Rhodesia Prison Medal for Gallantry
|image2=
|caption2=
}}
The Meritorious Conduct Medal was a Rhodesian military decoration for brave and gallant conduct.
Institution
The award was instituted in 1970 by Presidential Warrant, the first awards being made the same year. The last awards were made in December 1979.
Medal
The medal was a medal whose obverse was identical to the relief portrait of Cecil Rhodes on the Rhodesian General Service Medal but struck in bronze rather than cupro-nickel, with a blank reverse. The ribbon was purple.{{MilAward Ribbon|MCM|x20px}} The medal was impressed in small capitals with the recipient's name on the rim, and was awarded with a case of issue and miniature medal for wear.
Recipients
A total of 93 awards of the Meritorious Conduct Medal were made, thirteen posthumously.{{cite book|editor-last1=Saffery|editor-first1=David|others= Chris Eason (Designer)|year=2006|title=The Rhodesia Medal Roll|publisher=Jeppestown Press|location=United Kingdom|isbn= 978-0955393600}}{{rp|48–50}} Notable recipients included
- The city of Umtali (now Mutare).
- The crew members of Air Rhodesia Flight 825.
- A police officer and three NCOs from the Rhodesian SAS killed when the explosive device they were transporting blew up prematurely.{{cite web |url=https://www.dnw.co.uk/auction-archive/special-collections/lot.php?specialcollection_id=291&lot_id=95127 |title=A rare posthumous Rhodesian Meritorious Conduct Medal pair awarded to Colour-Sergeant J. "Geordie" Wright, 'C' Squadron, Rhodesian Special Air Service Regiment |access-date=15 May 2017 |website=Dix Noonan Webb web site}}
- John M Harvey British South Africa Police
Recipients are entitled to the post-nominal letters M.C.M.
Zimbabwe
The Meritorious Conduct Medal was abolished in September 1981.Zimbabwe Government Statutory Instrument No. 677 of 1981, 14 September 1981. Its status as the most junior of the Republic of Zimbabwe's awards for gallantry was taken by the Bronze Cross of Zimbabwe, which is also awarded to civilians and members of the Zimbabwean armed forces and police officers, and has an identical plain purple ribbon.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.medals.org.uk/zimbabwe/zimbabwe.htm Orders, Medals and Decorations of Zimbabwe]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meritorious Conduct Medal}}
Category:Military awards and decorations of Rhodesia
Category:1981 disestablishments in Zimbabwe