Polar Medal.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20295, 3 May 1934, Page 10

Polar Medal.

A Prized Award.

Two New Zealanders Honoured. (Special zo tlie “ Star.*’) WELLINGTON. May 3. r ]MIE KING’S APPROVAL of the grant of the Polar Medal to two New Zealanders, Messrs R. A. Falla and R. G. Simmers, who served in the Antarctic with Sir Douglas Mawson is of unusual interest. The Polar Medal is a unique distinction, entirely British in origin, and, by reason of the very limited number of its recipients, is one of the most prized of British decorations.

Its origin may be traced back to the year 1857 when Queen Victoria instituted a medal “ For Arctic Discoveries ” which was given to all who had participated in Arctic expeditions between 1818 and 1855. She issued a second medal in 1876 for those who had served on li.M.S. Discovery and Alert, during their Arctic expedition, and to the crew of the yacht Pandora which had voyaged into the Arctic in that It was not until the reign of King Edward VII. that another medal for Polar exploration became necessary, and in the meantime, British explorers had transferred their attention to the Antarctic. It was then decided to break away from the precedent established by Queen Victoria, of issuing special medals for each expedition, and to institute one decoration which would be standard for either Arctic or Antarctic discovery. Dated bars would be given to signify the expedition in which the award had been earned. Consequently, in 1904, King Edward issued a medal bearing a portrait of himself, in naval uniform, to be known as the Polar Medal. The Discovery, which had been used by Captain Scott, was portrayed as wintering with a ski-shod sledge party in the foreground, on the reverse of the award. The shape was octagonal, after the first Arctic medal, and the ribbon was the plain white riband of the second, thus linking it with previous awards. Scott’s Expedition.

Those who were on board the Discovery and who formed the landing partv in Scott’s first expedition received it in silver, with the clasp “ Antarctic, 1901-1904,” while those aboard the relief ships Morning and Terra Nova gained it in bronze, without the bar. Members of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s first expedition who wintered in the Polar regions were awarded the decoration with the bar “ Antarctic, 1907-1909,” but as the Nimrod did not spend the winter in the icy regions her crew were given bronze medals. The only bars provided were for anybody who might have been aboard one of Scott’s relief ships King George’s picture adorned the medals given for Captain Scott’s last expedition, and the bars in this case were lettered “Antarctic, 1910-1913” A bronze specimen was granted to four men who made a solitary summer voyage, and 60 silver ones were handed to the officers and men of the Terra Nova and" to the landing party. Sir Douglas Mawson and his men received it with the bar “ Antarctic, 1912 ” on their return from that expedition, and those who went with Sir Ernest Shackleton two years later and who landed were the recipients of medals with bars reading “ Antarctic, 1914-1916,” with the exception of five who had already held the decoration. Those who did not land gained a bronze award. The last awards made, prior to the present case, were medals in silver to fourteen members of the Arctic Air Route Expedition. which had the bar “ Arctic, 1930-1931.” The silver and bronze medals rank as distinct decorations, and may be worn together on the left breast and after any war medals that the wearer might have been given. Rear-Admiral E. R. G. R. Evans, who served on a relief ship in Scott’s first expedition, received the bronze medal from King Edward and when he returned at the close of the later ill-fated voyage, as commander of the expedition, received the silver award with King George’s head and the 1910-1913 bar. Sir Ernest Shackleton used to wear a silver specimen of the Edwardian type, with bars for service in Scott’s first expedition and for his own 1907 and 1914 ventures.