Newfoundland Volunteer War Service Medal
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| Newfoundland Volunteer War Service Medal | |
|---|---|
  Obverse and Reverse of the medal | |
| Type | Campaign medal |
| Awarded for | Voluntary service overseas during the Second World War in British Imperial Forces, where no other volunteer service medal was received |
| Presented by | United Kingdom for Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Eligibility | World War II veterans from Newfoundland & Labrador |
| Clasps | None |
| Established | November 6, 1981[1] |
| Total recipients | 7,500 |
 Ribbon bar | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Defence Medal[2] |
| Equivalent | Canadian Volunteer Service Medal |
| Next (lower) | War Medal[2] |
The Newfoundland Volunteer War Service Medal is a medal created to honour those from the Dominion of Newfoundland who served in British Forces outside of the Dominion during World War II. It was issued to those who did not receive a volunteer war service medal from another country, including Canada, and who had volunteered and served in units or organizations contributed by the Dominion to the allied war effort. The period of qualifying service was from September 3, 1939 through September 2, 1945,[3] but was not established until 1981. It was designed by Ian H. Stewart CM (who was at that time Senior Designer in Residence at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's).
The medal was established November 6, 1981 by the Volunteer War Service Medal Regulations, 1981, Newfoundland Regulation 204/81,[1] and further amended by the Volunteer War Service Medal Act, 1993.[4]
During World War II, Newfoundland was a separate Dominion of the British Empire, only joining the Canadian Confederation in 1949.[5] Accordingly, Newfoundland servicemen who volunteered to serve with British Imperial Forces, including Newfoundland units, did not qualify for the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal. The Newfoundland Medal was instituted to address this deficiency. Those who had served with Canadian forces and already held the Canadian award were not eligible for the new medal.[6]
A total of 7,500 medals were awarded, including those issued to next-of-kin, who could claim on behalf of those who died both in or since the war.[6]