Rosette on Prison Service Medal Ribbon.

[ByoRhodie]

Hi Guys, a bit of medal knowledge that you may not have known.

Last week Carl and I were discussing a ribbon bar he has on a Rhodesia Prison Service tunic, the Prison Service Medal ribbon had a rosette fixed to it and we could not figure out why this might be, thinking it was possibly something someone had ‘made up’ or that perhaps, for whatever reason, the rosette was being used in place of the bronze key (FYI please note that during the Rhodesian period there was only one type of Director’s Commendation, depicted by a bronze key. There was no Silver Key, so any that are around are the result of someone’s ignorance – I have been told that silver examples were made in the 1980s without knowledge of the fact that a silver one never existed).

Anyway back to the rosette, after a bit of research and questioning of an ex Prison Service officer we have the answer.

If one looks at Fforde and Rich’s book on Rhodesian Medals and Awards, you will see on page 40, that where the Prison General Service Medal was issued to someone who had already qualified for the Prison Service Medal (1965-68 reverse), then they wore a rosette on the Prison SM ribbon. An ex RPS Officer has told me that the rosette was worn on the ribbon bar only, and not on the mounted medal ribbon. The Prison GSM Warrant 1 of 1979 confirms the wearing of a rosette but does not stipulate worn on the ribbon bar only!

The only question arising now is ‘Were there no awards of a Service Medal to Prison Service Personnel for Service between 1970 and 1979 when the Prison GSM was announced??’

The General Service Medal was initially for service from 30th Nov 1968 but was later amended to 1st December 1968, with a last date of Service of 17th April 1980. (see Amendment of Rhodesia Warrant 1 of 1979 (Amendment No. 1)

Wayne K.