The Southern Cross Medal of 1952, post-nominal letters SM, is a South African military decoration which was instituted by the Union of South Africa in 1952. It was awarded for outstanding devotion to duty and was originally available to all ranks, but from 1967 until July 1975, when it was discontinued, it was reserved for officers.
The Southern Cross Medal could be awarded to members of the South African Defence Force for outstanding devotion to duty. From 1952 to 1967, the award could be made to all ranks, until an equivalent award for other ranks, the Pro Merito Medal, was introduced in 1967 and the award of the Southern Cross Medal was restricted to officers. The first awards were made on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Union of South Africa in 1960.
Order of wear
With effect from 6 April 1952, when the Southern Cross Medal and several other new decorations and medals were instituted, these new awards took precedence before all earlier British orders, decorations and medals awarded to South Africans, with the exception of the Victoria Cross, which still took precedence before all other awards. The other older British awards continued to be worn in the order prescribed by the British Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. The position of the Southern Cross Medal of 1952 in the official order of precedence was revised three times after 1975, to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first upon the integration into the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, again in April 1996, when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted for the two former non-statutory forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and finally upon the institution of a new set of awards on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged on all three occasions.
Preceded by the Medical Service Cross of the Republic of South Africa.
Succeeded by the Pro Merito Medal of the Republic of South Africa.
Description
;Obverse The Southern Cross Medal of 1952 is a medallion struck in silver, 38 millimetres in diameter and 3 millimetres thick, depicting the stars of the Southern Cross against a dark blue enameled background, framed in a circle of oak leaves. ;Reverse The reverse has the :File:Coat of Arms of South Africa.svg|pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms. Specimens which were struck before South Africa became a republic in 1961, have Queen Elizabeth's royal cypher above the Coat of Arms. The decoration number was impressed at the bottom of the decoration on the rim. ;Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide with a 13 millimetres wide dark blue band, one orange and one white band, both 3 millimetres wide, and a 13 millimetres wide dark blue band.
Discontinuation
Conferment of the decoration was discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 1 July 1975, when the Southern Cross Medal was instituted to replace it.
Recipients
Some officers were awarded both versions of the Southern Cross Medal. One example is Vice-Admiral Lambert Jackson WoodburneDVRSD SM, former Chief of the Navy. In such cases, the post-nominal letters "SM" is used once only.
