The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem Priory of Canada WEARING YOUR MEDALS: A GUIDE 2010 THE ORDER OF ST. JOHN SOVEREIGN HEAD Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II GRAND PRIOR His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG, GCVO, GCStJ PRIOR OF CANADA The Governor General of Canada St. John Ambulance Canada National Office Suite 400, 1900 City Park Drive Ottawa, ON K1J 1A3 2010 Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................1 Full Evening Dress - White Tie and Tails or Long Evening Dress .........................2 Evening Dress - Dinner Jacket or Long Evening Dress .........................................2 Morning Dress ........................................................................................................3 Business Attire ........................................................................................................4 Uniforms .................................................................................................................5 Grand Cross ............................................................................................................6 Robes of the Order ..................................................................................................8 Lapel Badges ...........................................................................................................8 Overcoats ................................................................................................................8 Medal Mounting Styles - Medal Bars .....................................................................9 Post-nominal Designations .....................................................................................9 Insignia of the Order ............................................................................................10 Frequently Asked Questions .................................................................................11 Further Reading ....................................................................................................11 Wearing Your Medals: A Guide Page i Foreword This short guide is intended to help members of the Order of St. John and recipients of the Service Medal of the Order of St. John and other awards bestowed upon members of St. John Ambulance to understand better the when, where and how to wear their medals and insignia. The Order of St. John and the Service Medal of the Order of St. John are awarded by The Queen in Right of Canada and are official Canadian honours. They constitute some of the oldest elements of the Canadian honours system. Awards such as the Chancellor’s Commendation and Provincial Chair’s Commendation are awarded under the authority of the Priory of Canada and may be worn with officially granted honours in the Canadian honours system. These honours and awards are worn on the left side of your coat or dress, commonly known as the “Crown” side, as these honours have been officially sanctioned by the Crown or are officially recognized. Other awards such as the Life-Saving Medal of the Order and Donat insignia are internal awards that have no national status. As we shall see, these should only be worn at Order of St. John events on the right side of the dress or coat. They are not to be mounted with officially granted honours or medals as they have not been sanctioned by the Crown and carry no official status. Christopher McCreery, SBStJ Priory Historian O T T A W A June 2010 Page ii Wearing Your Medals: A Guide Introduction Why Should I Wear My Medals? You have been officially recognized by the Crown for your service in one area or another. Your decorations are an outward display of not only your service but the honour that has been accorded to you by your country. You have been recognized in part to serve as an example to other citizens, and wearing your medals is one way of serving as an example. Wearing your medals also raises the visibility of the Order and provides an important service in this manner. Why Should I Follow These Rules? The rules for wearing orders, decorations, medals and other awards exist to help you know what to wear and when to wear it. Unfortunately there are some people who believe that “I earned this award; therefore, I can wear it any way I want.” Sadly this is a misinformed attitude that often leaves the person looking like a trumped-up dictator desperate to look important. By following these rules you are showing respect for the Crown and the many other members of the Order and recipients of the Service Medal. These rules are not unique to the Order of St. John. They are Canadian rules which have come to us through Commonwealth tradition and international custom. When Should I Wear My Medals? There are specific occasions when you may wear your orders, decorations and medals. How you wear your medals is usually dictated by what order of dress you are wearing, whether it be a business suit, long evening dress or dinner jacket (tuxedo). When you are invited to an event it will usually say what you should wear; such notifications are usually included on the bottom of the invitation card. It will often say something along the lines of “Business Attire with Full-size Decorations” “Black tie, long dress with Miniatures (or Decorations).” There is no rule preventing you from wearing your medals 24 hours a day, even on your pyjamas; however, common sense should prevail. The invitation will usually indicate if medals are to be worn. When in doubt, just keep your medals in your pocket until you arrive at an event. Then, if you find it is an event at which medals are to be worn you can pin them on. Full-Size Medals or Miniature Medals? The general rule to follow is that FULL-SIZE medals are worn DURING THE DAY, while MINIATURE SIZE medals are worn DURING THE EVENING. Full-size medals are those officially presented to a person by the Crown. These are worn during the daytime, while miniature medals are typically worn during the evening with formal dress. Miniature medals are small replicas of the full-size insignia and are purchased privately. Wearing Your Medals: A Guide Page 1 Full Evening Dress - White Tie and Tails or Long Evening Dress Men (White Tie and Tails) The miniature insignia of all orders, decorations and medals should be worn suspended from a medal bar attached to the left lapel of the coat. Only one full-size neck badge should be worn, suspended from a miniature-width ribbon, so that the badge hangs 2.5 cm below the bow/knot. The sash of the Order is worn over the right shoulder underneath the tailcoat, but over the waistcoat/vest, with the badge resting on the hip. Up to four breast stars may be worn on the left side of the tailcoat. Women (Long Evening Dress) The miniature insignia of all orders, decorations and medals should be worn suspended from a medal bar attached to the left side of the dress. The sash of the Order is worn over the right shoulder, overtop of the dress. Up to four breast stars may be worn on the left side of the dress. Only one full-size neck badge should be worn . This should be wron on a bow above the medal bar on the left shoulder. Commendations are not worn with this order of dress. Evening Dress - Dinner Jacket or Long Evening Dress Men (Black Tie) The miniature insignia of all orders, decorations and medals should be worn suspended from a medal bar attached to the left lapel of the coat. Only one full-size neck badge should be worn, suspended from a miniature- width ribbon. The ribbon is worn under the shirt collar so that the badge hangs 2.5 cm below the bow/knot. A miniature of this badge should be included in those worn on the medal bar. Only one star of an order should be worn on the left side of the coat. Persons who have been awarded a Chancellor’s Commendation or a Provincial Chair’s Commendation wear the full-size commendation bar 2.5 cm below their group of miniature medals. A maximum of four commendation bars may be Dinner Jacket worn at any given time. Commendations are not worn when a Knight of Justice/ (Tuxedo) Grace is wearing his breast star. Women (Long Evening Dress) The miniature insignia of all orders, decorations and medals should be worn suspended from a medal bar attached to the left side of the dress. If in possession of only one such award, it may be worn on a bow. Only one full-size neck badge should be worn. This should be worn on a bow above the medal bar on the left shoulder. In place of a bow women are permitted to wear one full-size neck badge around the neck on miniature size ribbon. Only one star of an order should be worn on the left size of the dress. Lady wearing miniatures Persons who have been awarded a Chancellor’s Insignia on a bow, Commendation or a Provincial Chair’s miniatures may also be worn Commendation wear the full-size commendation bar 2.5 cm below their group of miniature medals. A maximum of four Commendation bars may be worn at any given time. Commendations are not worn when a Dame of Justice/ Grace is wearing her breast star. Page 2 Wearing Your Medals: A Guide Morning Dress Men (Tailcoat or Director’s Short Black Coat) Those full-size orders, decorations and medals that are suspended from the medal bar are worn attached to the left side of the coat. Only one full-size neck badge should be worn, suspended from a full-width ribbon. The ribbon is worn under the shirt collar so that the badge rests immediately below the knot of the tie. Up to four stars of orders may be worn on the tailcoat, and only one star on the Director’s Short Black Coat, attached to the left side below the insignia on the medal bar. Director’s Short Black Coat Persons who have been awarded a Chancellor’s Commendation or a Provincial Chair’s Commendation wear the full-size commendation bar 2.5 cm below their group of full-size medals. A maximum of four commendation bars may be worn at any given time. Commendations are not worn when a Knight of Justice/Grace is wearing his breast star. Tailcoat Women (Afternoon Dress) Those full-size orders, decorations and medals that are suspended from a medal bar are worn attached to the left side of the dress.