Salvation Army: The Order of Long Service. Silver & enamel. 1st type. Reverse engraved ‘Adjt. Annie Devlyn 1891-1916’

Reverse of award with makers marks for 'Vaughton & Sons' & English silver hallmark for Birmingham, 1912. The suspension ring with a 'Lion Passant' hallmark

Dimension: The medal has width of 43mm

Weight: g including riband & mounting brooch

Metal: Silver
A very scarce Great War era issue of this scarce item of insignia

Much misinformation has been quoted about these scarce awards, not least the myth that 'different sizes of insignia' were awarded depending on rank. On the contrary the award was issued uniformly in the same size for all ranks of recipients for 25 years long and faithful service - and note awards could also be awarded retroactively. The differences in the two sizes seen of the medal seen, are 1st and 2nd type issues, made by different medal makers in different eras, viz 1st type awards by Vaughton & Sons (early issues), and 2nd type, smaller issues by J.R. Gaunt & Sons)

Though not without error (we have inserted comments (sic...) within below quoted text, we would refer clients to the most useful article by OMSA member Paul Fanning, whose article on Salvation Army awards was published in the Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America, Volume 35, issue No 3, to which we refer, with courtesy;

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON A SALVATION ARMY LONG SERVICE AWARD

I would like to clarify and add further information to the Salvation Army long service award brought to our attention by Dave Foster in the June 1983 issue of The Medal Collector.

As a Salvationist, I was very pleased to see the article. I have been working on an article covering all phases of long service awards issued by The Salvation Army, but have been bogged down by lack of recorded information.

The award covered is officially known as "The Order of Long Service" and as the "Long Service Order." I attempted to trace its inception date through official documents, and it seems to have been founded in 1916 under General W. Bramwell Booth (sic, we have since seen awards recorded with reverse Birmingham hallmarks for 1909 (award named to 'Mrs. Major Martha Warren 1911', sold per Lot 228 at Spink Sale 1005 of April 2010) & 1912 & 1915. The 'Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough' issue of, 17 October 1914, also records an award to Adjutant Alec Noble of the Stockton Corps). It first appears in the 1917 printing of the Orders and Regulations for Field Officers of The Salvation Army,and a pciture of an officer wearing her "order" is shown in the August 1917 issue of "The Officer," a monthly magazine to all officers throughout the world. The order ceased to be issued in the depicted cross form about 1967-68.

The order was given for 25 years continuous service as an officer (ordained minister) of The Salvation Army. In addition to being entitled to wear the cross, the officer received additional furlough time, allowance, and a certificate of admission to the order.

The officer’s appointment as an "associate" of the order is listed in the Official Gazette of his or her particular Territory, and published in "The War Cry," the weekly official organ of The Salvation Army.

In 1925, a half inch silver star was added to the regulations to represent an additional ten years of service. There is an additional medal for fifty years service which was awarded in 1967 to General and Mrs. Clarence Wiseman, O.O.C., (retired). I managed only a quick glance at his award, but it is a round medal with a smaller version of the long service cross in the center, on an enamelled cut-out circle with the wording, "THE SALVATION ARMY," "50 YEARS SERVICE." The ribbon is blue with diagonal blocks of yellow and red throughout the major portion of the suspension ribbon (see previous article).

The ribbon bars illustrated in figure 2 of Dave Foster’s article have been printed upside down. The cloth ribbon bar is no longer issued. The silver cross and ribbon bar have been replaced by the enamelled gold-metal ribbon bar pictured (without the star) for the initial 25 years. After an additional I0 years service, a gold star is added for an aggregate service total of 35 years. While at one time additional stars were added to the suspension ribbon of the cross, none are added beyond the 35 year star to the current enamelled bar.

The crosses in figure i of Foster’s article show two of the four known engraving styles of the order. The earliest style simply presented the recipient’s name without date or rank. One in my collection is engraved "TOM W. SCOTT," dating from 1919. The fourth style of engraving was similar to cross number two in the article, but without the recipient’s rank engraved thereon. The order was and still is awarded individually, as clearly shown in the article. It was interesting to note that Mrs. Major Martinez received hers a full year before her husband, indicating that she had been commissioned a year before him. In The Salvation Army, the rank of a married officer is shared with her husband. The cross awarded to her husband indicates a promotion to the next rank above Major at that time, Senior-Major.

After examining many crosses issued through the years, only two silversmiths seem to have been contracted to make them: Vaughton & Son(s) and J. R. Gaunt and Son(s), both of Birmingham. The last registry office date letter I have seen stamped on crosses still carried in stock by the Trade Department of The Salvation Army has been for 1953-84

One sad note for all of us collectors of medals. Since the long service cross has ceased to be worn officially on The Salvation Army uniform, many of the proudly earned and coveted crosses have been converted into throat brooches by retired lady officers. While this tends to destroy the enamel on the obverse, and the engraving on the reverse, at least they are still being worn with pride!

Note: At the time of receiving her award, Annie was holding the appointment of Adjutant in the Salvation Army - in later years she was 'Commandant - in Command - of the Bromley Corps of the Salvation Army', and latterly held the appointment of Major!

Unquote.

The Bromley and West Kent Mercury issue of, 26 November 1920, contained the below following article:

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NEW COMMANDANT

A cordial welcome has been extended to Commandant Annie Devlyn, who succeeds Commandant Emerson in command of the Bromley Corps of the Salvation Army. On Saturday evening a public meeting was held in the Market-place, when the newcomer made her first public appearance in Bromley. The Sunday meetings were well attended, and Commandant Devlyn spoke to each, her subject in the evening being "Peace." For over thirty years Commandant Annie Devlyn has worked as a Salvation Army officer, but she is as energetic as ever. When energy goes hand in hand with experience (Commandant Devlyn has also served, in Walthamstow, Southend, Leytonstone, Weston-super-Mare, Torquay, and many another town) success is assured. The first woman commandant in Bromley for 13 years is a Scotswoman, hailing from Edinburgh. On Sunday she will conduct the morning, afternoon and evening services.

Unquote.

Annie Devlyn, daughter of Devlyn & Devlyn (nee ) was a native of, Edinburgh, Scotland, where she was born on, 22 June 1869. (1869-, is recorded as a 'Salvation Army Officer, Retired' in the 1939 National Register for England and Wales, at which time she was residing at, 7 Bramley Road, Worthing, Sussex, England. Annie is recorded as having died on, 6 November 1951

An extremely scarce early female 'Salvationists' long service award

Condition: GVF

Code: 22166