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The Sacrifice Medal
9 November 2009
Ottawa, Ontario
The Sacrifice Medal was created to fulfill the desire of Canadians and the Government of Canada to provide formal recognition, through the award of an official medal emanating from the Crown, to those who have lost their life as a result of military service or are wounded by hostile action. This honour replaces the Wound Stripe.Eligibility and Criteria
The Sacrifice Medal may be awarded to members of the Canadian Forces; members of an allied force working as an integral part of the Canadian Forces, such as exchange personnel; civilian employees of the Government of Canada; or Canadian citizens under contract with the Government of Canada deployed as part of a military mission under the authority of the Canadian Forces. To be eligible, recipients must have, on or after October 7, 2001, died or been wounded under honourable circumstances as a direct result of hostile action, on the condition that the wounds that were sustained required treatment by a physician and the treatment has been documented.
The Medal may also be awarded posthumously to any member of the Canadian Forces who served on or after October 7, 2001, in the Regular Force, Primary Reserve, Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service or Canadian Rangers, or any member of the Supplementary Reserve who served in or with one of the components aforementioned on or after October 7, 2001, and who dies under honourable circumstances as a result of an injury or disease related to military service.
Description
The Sacrifice Medal is a circular silver medal, bearing on the obverse, a contemporary effigy of Her Majesty The Queen wearing a Canadian diadem composed of alternating maple leaves and snowflakes circumscribed with the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA" and "CANADA", separated by small maple leaves; and bearing on the reverse, a representation of the statue named "Canada" – which forms part of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial – facing right, overlooking the horizon with the inscription "SACRIFICE" appearing in the lower right half of the Medal. The effigy of Her Majesty represents not only The Queen as Canada’s Head of State and Head of the armed forces but also as the fons honoris (the Fount of All Honours) for her Canadian Dominion.
The Queen is the only person who can create an official honour in Canada and all Canadian Honours are bestowed in Her name. The tradition generally followed since the mid-19th century has been to depict who the medal is from on the obverse, in this case the Sovereign, what the medal is for on the reverse and who the medal is awarded to on the edge.
The statue "Canada", designed by architect Walter Seymour Allward as part of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, symbolizes Canada, the mother of a nation grieving for her fallen. This saddened figure personifies the sorrow for the lives lost and broken by conflict and makes a connection with Vimy, acclaimed by many as the birthplace of the nation and one of the most important military engagements in Canadian history. She faces a large field representing not only the loneliness and isolation of mourning, but also the future. The statue depicts the figure of a woman, hooded and cloaked, head heavy, with her eyes cast down and her chin resting on her hand. She holds some laurel branches in her right hand, symbols of peace, honour and sacrifice.
The medal is fitted with a straight suspension bar ornamented with the Royal Crown. The ribbon is a watered ribbon, 32 mm wide, with a black central stripe (10 mm), flanked by red edges (11 mm each) centered on which are 1 mm white stripes. Black represents mourning and sacrifice while red and white are the official colours of Canada, as decreed by His Majesty King George V in 1921. The bar has a raised edge and bears a maple leaf in the centre.
Historical Notes
Captain Carl Gauthier of the Directorate of Honours and Recognition and Cathy Bursey-Sabourin, Fraser Herald at the Canadian Heraldic Authority at the Chancellery of Honours, Rideau Hall, collaborated to create the design. The Medal is made of Sterling Silver and lacquered to prevent tarnishing. It is manufactured by the Royal Canadian Mint. The Medal is engraved on the edge with the service number, abbreviated substantive rank, initials and surname of military recipients and the forenames and surname of civilian recipients. The Medal’s creation was announced on August 29, 2008.
