.gif)
Order of Military Merit (Canada)
Encyclopedia
The Order of Military Merit is a military honour
for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the second highest order
administered by the Governor General-in-Council
, on behalf of the Queen of Canada. Created in 1972 to replace a grouping within the Order of Canada
, the three-tiered order was established to recognize members of the Canadian Forces
either regular or reserve personnel who have demonstrated dedication and devotion beyond the call of duty, achieving conspicuous merit and exceptional military service.
, is at the apex of the Order of Military Merit as its Sovereign, followed by the governor general, who serves as the fellowship's Chancellor, and the Chief of the Defence Staff
, who is the Principal Commander. Thereafter follow three grades each having accordant post-nominal letters
that are the same in both English
and French
. There are no limits to the population of any grade, and promotions are possible, though this is ordinarily not done within five years of the initial appointment. Any person thus honoured must return their lower grade insignia, as no member may at any time hold more than one appointment in the organization. Further, within the order of preference
for Canadian honours, each grade of the Order of Military Merit precedes a similar grade of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces
, with Commanders succeeding the Members of the Order of Canada
.
Upon admission into the Order of Military Merit, members are presented the appropriate insignia, though these remain property of the Crown. The Sovereign's insignia is a jewelled, 18kt
gold crown of rubies
, emerald
s, and sapphire
s, from which is suspended a blue enamelled cross pattée
with four equal arms and three diamonds between each. At the centre is a disc bearing a maple leaf
in pavé-laid rubies on a white enamel background, surrounded at its edge by a red enamel ring (annulus) bearing the words MERIT • MÉRITE • CANADA. The Chancellor wears the badge of a Commander, though is also, upon installation as governor general, granted a livery collar
for wear at Order of Military Merit investiture ceremonies; this is composed of a series of gold medallions, and supports an enamel rendition of the shield of the Royal Arms of Canada, from which the governor general's badge is suspended.
The badges for inductees are of a similar design to the sovereign's badge, though without precious stones, and slight differences for each grade. For Commanders, the emblem is gilt
with a red enamel maple leaf in the gold central disk; for Officers, it is gilt with a gold maple leaf; and for Members, both the badge itself and the maple leaf are silver. The reverse bears only a serial number, and all are topped by a St. Edward's Crown
, symbolizing that the order is headed by the sovereign. These insignia are worn with the order's ribbon, which is blue with golden edges. Male Commanders wear the badge at the neck while Officers and Members display theirs on the left breast on a medal bar, suspended by, respectively, a bar of gold or silver decorated with a laurel motif. Women wear their emblems on a ribbon bow pinned at the left chest. The ribbon bar, worn for undress, is the same for each grade, save for a miniature blue cross pattée with a maple leaf, the colour of which matches that on the badge of the grade that the wearer was appointed to; someone who has been promoted within the order may wear on their ribbon bar the pins of all grades that they have occupied. These same miniatures also serves as a lapel pin for civilian wear.
With the patriation in 1988 of oversight of arms
to Canada through the Canadian Heraldic Authority
, the constitution of the Order of Military Merit was amended to include the entitlement of all inductees to petition the Chief Herald of Canada
for personal armorial bearings, should they not already possess any. Commanders may receive supporters, and all members may have the escutcheon (shield) of their arms encircled with a blue ribbon
bearing the order's motto OFFICIUM ANTE COMMODUM in gold, and from which is suspended a rendition of the holder's Order of Military Merit badge.
and above, recommendations for appointment to the Order of Military Merit are made by a commanding officer or military advisory committee to the Chief of the Defence Staff, who then forwards the name or names to the governor general; per the Queen's Regulations and Orders for the Canadian Forces, neither the nominee, nor any member of his or her family, can be notified or otherwise made aware that they have been suggested for induction into the order. Nominations are processed by the Advisory Committee for the Order of Military Merit, which is a part of the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall
, and has six members: one appointed by the governor general, four by the Chief of the Defence Staff, and the Chief of the Defence Staff him or herself; the Secretary to the Governor General
serves as the Secretary General of the Order of Military Merit.
Appointments take place annually and are limited to 0.1% of the previous year's total population of the Canadian Forces, including reserves; for example, the 60th list included 111 appointments in 2010. Submissions for appointments must be representative of the whole of the Canadian Forces population and nominators are advised that appointments are not necessarily commensurate with senior rank and long service. Many outstanding master seaman, petty officers, and lieutenants are as deserving as senior officers and non-comnmissioned members. The level of Member is generally reserved for non-commissioned member
s of the forces, petty officers, and commissioned officers up to the rank of army or air force captain or navy lieutenant, while no more than six percent of those appointed to the order in total may be inducted as Commanders, and no more than 30% may be made Officers. Appointments are also not made posthumously, though members of foreign armed forces can be admitted as honorary members in any grade. Still, more than 3,000 individuals have been appointed to the Order of Military Merit since its inception, 2,300 into the rank of Member.
Military decoration
A military decoration is a decoration given to military personnel or units for heroism in battle or distinguished service. They are designed to be worn on military uniform....
for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the second highest order
Order (decoration)
An order or order of merit is a visible honour, awarded by a government, dynastic house or international organization to an individual, usually in recognition of distinguished service to a nation or to humanity. The distinction between orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that most...
administered by the Governor General-in-Council
Queen-in-Council
The Queen-in-Council is, in each of the Commonwealth realms, the technical term of constitutional law that refers to the exercise of executive authority, denoting the monarch acting by and with the advice and consent of his or her privy council or executive council The Queen-in-Council (during...
, on behalf of the Queen of Canada. Created in 1972 to replace a grouping within the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, the three-tiered order was established to recognize members of the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
either regular or reserve personnel who have demonstrated dedication and devotion beyond the call of duty, achieving conspicuous merit and exceptional military service.
Grades and precedence
The Canadian monarch, seen as the fount of honourFount of honour
The fount of honour refers to a nation's head of state, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry to other persons.- Origin :...
, is at the apex of the Order of Military Merit as its Sovereign, followed by the governor general, who serves as the fellowship's Chancellor, and the Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the second most senior member of the Canadian Forces, and heads the Armed Forces Council, having primary responsibility for command, control, and administration of the forces, as well as military strategy, plans, and requirements...
, who is the Principal Commander. Thereafter follow three grades each having accordant post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles or designatory letters, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of...
that are the same in both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. There are no limits to the population of any grade, and promotions are possible, though this is ordinarily not done within five years of the initial appointment. Any person thus honoured must return their lower grade insignia, as no member may at any time hold more than one appointment in the organization. Further, within the order of preference
Canadian order of precedence (Decorations and Medals)
The following is the Canadian order of precedence for decorations and medals. Where applicable, post-nominal letters are indicated.-Awards of valour:-National orders:-Provincial orders:-National decorations:-National medals:...
for Canadian honours, each grade of the Order of Military Merit precedes a similar grade of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces
Order of Merit of the Police Forces
The Order of Merit of the Police Forces is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the only such fellowship reserved only for members of Canada's various police forces...
, with Commanders succeeding the Members of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
| Grades of the Order of Military Merit: | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | Post-nominal letters | Ribbon | Recognizing | Preceding | Succeeding | |||
| Commander |
CMM | _ribbon_(cmm).jpg) |
Outstanding meritorious service and demonstrated leadership in duties of great responsibility. As of August 2009, there were 211 living Commanders of the order. | Member of the Order of Canada Order of Canada The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit... (CM) |
Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces Order of Merit of the Police Forces The Order of Merit of the Police Forces is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the only such fellowship reserved only for members of Canada's various police forces... (COM) |
|||
| Officer |
OMM | _ribbon_(omm).jpg) |
Outstanding meritorious service in duties of responsibility. As of August 2009, there were 1,021 living Officers of the order. | Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys... (CVO) |
Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces Order of Merit of the Police Forces The Order of Merit of the Police Forces is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the only such fellowship reserved only for members of Canada's various police forces... (OOM) |
|||
| Member |
MMM | _ribbon_(mmm).jpg) |
Exceptional service or performance of duty. As of August 2009, there were 2,436 living Members of the order. | Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys... (LVO) |
Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces Order of Merit of the Police Forces The Order of Merit of the Police Forces is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the only such fellowship reserved only for members of Canada's various police forces... (MOM) |
|||
Insignia
Carat (purity)
The karat or carat is a unit of purity for gold alloys.- Measure :Karat purity is measured as 24 times the purity by mass:where...
gold crown of rubies
Ruby
A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
, emerald
Emerald
Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
s, and sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
s, from which is suspended a blue enamelled cross pattée
Cross pattée
A cross pattée is a type of cross which has arms narrow at the centre, and broader at the perimeter. An early English example from the start of the age of heraldry proper A cross pattée (or "cross patty", known also as "cross formée/formy") is a type of cross which has arms narrow at the...
with four equal arms and three diamonds between each. At the centre is a disc bearing a maple leaf
Maple leaf
The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000...
in pavé-laid rubies on a white enamel background, surrounded at its edge by a red enamel ring (annulus) bearing the words MERIT • MÉRITE • CANADA. The Chancellor wears the badge of a Commander, though is also, upon installation as governor general, granted a livery collar
Livery collar
A livery collar or chain of office is a collar or heavy chain, usually of gold, worn as insignia of office or a mark of fealty or other association in Europe from the Middle Ages onwards....
for wear at Order of Military Merit investiture ceremonies; this is composed of a series of gold medallions, and supports an enamel rendition of the shield of the Royal Arms of Canada, from which the governor general's badge is suspended.
The badges for inductees are of a similar design to the sovereign's badge, though without precious stones, and slight differences for each grade. For Commanders, the emblem is gilt
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
with a red enamel maple leaf in the gold central disk; for Officers, it is gilt with a gold maple leaf; and for Members, both the badge itself and the maple leaf are silver. The reverse bears only a serial number, and all are topped by a St. Edward's Crown
St. Edward's Crown
St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels, being the official coronation crown used in the coronation of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realms monarchs...
, symbolizing that the order is headed by the sovereign. These insignia are worn with the order's ribbon, which is blue with golden edges. Male Commanders wear the badge at the neck while Officers and Members display theirs on the left breast on a medal bar, suspended by, respectively, a bar of gold or silver decorated with a laurel motif. Women wear their emblems on a ribbon bow pinned at the left chest. The ribbon bar, worn for undress, is the same for each grade, save for a miniature blue cross pattée with a maple leaf, the colour of which matches that on the badge of the grade that the wearer was appointed to; someone who has been promoted within the order may wear on their ribbon bar the pins of all grades that they have occupied. These same miniatures also serves as a lapel pin for civilian wear.
With the patriation in 1988 of oversight of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
to Canada through the Canadian Heraldic Authority
Canadian Heraldic Authority
The Canadian Heraldic Authority is part of the Canadian honours system under the Queen of Canada, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General. The Authority is responsible for the creation and granting of new coats of arms , flags and badges for Canadian citizens, permanent residents and...
, the constitution of the Order of Military Merit was amended to include the entitlement of all inductees to petition the Chief Herald of Canada
Chief Herald of Canada
Chief Herald of Canada is the title held by the head of the Canadian Heraldic Authority. The Chief Herald of Canada directs the operations of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and makes the grants of arms. There are exceptions to this, such as certain grants made directly by the Governor General. The...
for personal armorial bearings, should they not already possess any. Commanders may receive supporters, and all members may have the escutcheon (shield) of their arms encircled with a blue ribbon
Ribbon
A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily for binding and tying. Cloth ribbons, most commonly silk, are often used in connection with clothing, but are also applied for innumerable useful, ornamental and symbolic purposes...
bearing the order's motto OFFICIUM ANTE COMMODUM in gold, and from which is suspended a rendition of the holder's Order of Military Merit badge.
Eligibility and appointment
For military ranks of colonelColonel (Canada)
In the Canadian Forces, the rank of colonel is an Army or Air Force rank equal to a captain of the Navy. A colonel is the highest rank of senior officer...
and above, recommendations for appointment to the Order of Military Merit are made by a commanding officer or military advisory committee to the Chief of the Defence Staff, who then forwards the name or names to the governor general; per the Queen's Regulations and Orders for the Canadian Forces, neither the nominee, nor any member of his or her family, can be notified or otherwise made aware that they have been suggested for induction into the order. Nominations are processed by the Advisory Committee for the Order of Military Merit, which is a part of the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall is, since 1867, the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a 0.36 km2 estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main building consisting of 170 rooms across 9,500 m2 , and 24 outbuildings around the...
, and has six members: one appointed by the governor general, four by the Chief of the Defence Staff, and the Chief of the Defence Staff him or herself; the Secretary to the Governor General
Secretary to the Governor General of Canada
The Secretary to the Governor General is the head of the Office of the Governor General of Canada and is based at Rideau Hall, Ottawa. The current secretary is Stephen Wallace, appointed in 2011.-Secretaries to the governor general:...
serves as the Secretary General of the Order of Military Merit.
Appointments take place annually and are limited to 0.1% of the previous year's total population of the Canadian Forces, including reserves; for example, the 60th list included 111 appointments in 2010. Submissions for appointments must be representative of the whole of the Canadian Forces population and nominators are advised that appointments are not necessarily commensurate with senior rank and long service. Many outstanding master seaman, petty officers, and lieutenants are as deserving as senior officers and non-comnmissioned members. The level of Member is generally reserved for non-commissioned member
Non-commissioned member
A non-commissioned member , in the Canadian Forces, is defined in the Queen's Regulations and Orders as:"… any person, other than an officer, who is enrolled in, or who pursuant to law is attached or seconded otherwise than as an officer to, the Canadian Forces…" Thus, an NCM is any member who is...
s of the forces, petty officers, and commissioned officers up to the rank of army or air force captain or navy lieutenant, while no more than six percent of those appointed to the order in total may be inducted as Commanders, and no more than 30% may be made Officers. Appointments are also not made posthumously, though members of foreign armed forces can be admitted as honorary members in any grade. Still, more than 3,000 individuals have been appointed to the Order of Military Merit since its inception, 2,300 into the rank of Member.