Legion of Merit (Rhodesia)
| Order of the Legion of Merit | |
|---|---|
|
Legion Of Merit (military division) | |
Awarded by  Rhodesia  Zimbabwe-Rhodesia | |
| Type | order |
| Eligibility | civilians and military personnel |
| Awarded for | outstanding service to Rhodesia |
| Status | defunct |
| Post-nominals | Dependent on grade |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 4 November 1970 |
| First awarded | 1970 |
| Last awarded | April 1981 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Conspicuous Gallantry Decoration |
| Next (lower) | Independence Decoration |
_-_ribbon_bar.png){kind=small} Ribbon bar of the civil order _-_ribbon_bar.png){kind=small} Ribbon bar of the military order | |
The Legion of Merit was a Rhodesian order of merit awarded to both civilian and military recipients for service to Rhodesia.
Institution
The award was instituted in 1970 by Presidential Warrant, the first awards being made the same year. The last awards were made in June 1980. The civil class was suspended from a green and gold ribbon. The military class differed by featuring a red stripe on the green and gold ribbon.
Classes
There were five classes of the order:
- Grand Commander (GCLM)
- Grand Officer (GLM)
- Commander (CLM)
- Officer (OLM)
- Member (MLM)
The incumbent President of Rhodesia served as Grand Master of the Legion of Merit. Recipients of the order were entitled to the post-nominal letters indicated above. It was retained by the government of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia as well, the President of that state also serving as Grand Master.
Zimbabwe
The Legion of Merit was superseded in April 1981[1] by the Zimbabwe Order of Merit, which is awarded to civilians as well as military personnel for eminent achievement and services to Zimbabwe.
Notable recipients
While the higher grades of the order were used almost exclusively by Ian Smith's Rhodesian Front government to reward political service, recipients of the lower and middle grades included a number of notable military leaders, community leaders and civil servants.
There were only 4 GCLMs:
| Recipient | Office |
|---|---|
| Ian Smith | Prime Minister of Rhodesia |
| Clifford Dupont | President of Rhodesia. Automatically awarded GCLM on retirement from office. |
| Gerald Clarke | Cabinet Secretary; |
| Josiah Gumede | President of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia. Automatically awarded GCLM on retirement from office. |
No GCLMs were ever awarded in the Military Division.
There were 28 GLMs (Civil Division):
| Recipient | Office |
|---|---|
| Morris S.E. | Chief Native Commissioner, Senator; |
| Nicolle W.H.H. | Secretary for Internal Affairs; |
| Stumbles A.R.W. | Speaker of the House; |
| Bruce N.H.B. | Governor of the Reserve Bank of Rhodesia; |
| Jack Howman | Minister, Information & Defence; |
| Ross L.C. | Secretary for Information, Immigration and Tourism; |
| Smith L.B. | Minister; |
| Young D.W. | Secretary to the Treasury; |
| Lardner-Burke D.W. | Minister of Law and Order; |
| Lilford D.C. | Chairman, Rhodesia Front Party;# |
| Smith E.A.T. | Secretary for Justice; |
| Bosman T.A.T | Attorney General; |
| Hawkins H. | Commander RhAF, Ambassador to South Africa; |
| Hawkins R.T.R. | Minister; |
| Mussett B.H. | Minister of Transport; |
| Whetmore C.N. | Secretary; |
| Gaylard J.F. | Secretary; |
| Smith A.P. | Minister; |
| Smith D.C. | Minister of Finance; |
| Van der Byl P.K.F.V | Minister of Defence; |
| Sherren P.D.W.R | Commissioner of Police; |
| Cambitizis N.H.B. | Rhodesia Front Party; |
| Hartley G.H. | Speaker of the House, Rhodesia Front Party; |
| Partridge M.H.H. | Minister for Natural Resources; |
| Pithey J.W. | Secretary of Justice, Acting President; |
| Everard H.B. | Acting President; |
| Irvine W.M. | Minister, Transport and Power; |
| Flower K. | Head, Central Intelligence Organization; |
There was only 1 GLM (Military Division): Lieutenant-General Peter Walls.
There were 32 CLMs (Civil Division), one of whom one was Janet Smith, wife of Prime Minister Ian Smith.
There were 4 CLMs (Military Division), one of whom was Colonel Ronald Reid-Daly, commanding officer of the Selous Scouts.
There were 126 OLMs (Civil Division).
There were 35 OLMs (Military Division) and 10 OLMs (Military Division) (Combatant).
There were 300 MLMs (Civil Division), 55 MLMs (Military Division) and 10 MLMs (Military Division) (Combatant).
References
- ↑ Zimbabwe Government Statutory Instrument No. 197A of 1981, 17 April 1981.