Circular cupro-nickel medal with claw and ribbon bar suspension; the face with the crowned head of King George VI facing left, circumscribed ‘GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR. OMN : REX F : D ; IND : IMP. (George VI by the Grace of God King of Great Britain, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India), signed ‘PM’; the reverse with the arms of Australia centrally, circumscribed above ‘THE AUSTRALIA SERVICE MEDAL’ and dated ‘1939-1945’ below; attributed on the edge to ‘VX103863 H. L. ARCHIBALD’; on original ribbon shortened at the back.
The Medal was instituted in 1949 and originally awarded to Australians who had served for eighteen months overseas or for 3 years at home between 3 September 1939 and 3 September 1945. In 1999 this was reduced to 30 days full time service or 90 days part-time service.
Private Harold Laurence Archibald, born 16 July 1920 at Williamstown, Victoria, enlisted in the Australian Army at Frankston on 17 July 1942 and was discharged on 10 April 1946.
2/12 Australian Field Regiment was an artillery regiment that saw action in North Africa before the date of Private Archibald’s enlistment and subsequently went to New Guinea in August 1943 and later to North Borneo in mid-1945.
Sold with a copy of his Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs certificate of World War Two Service.
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