Petty Officer Efficiency Medal

History

Unless someone can correct me it is understood that, in 1919, a retired Royal Navy Surgeon expressed his desire to donate a sum of £100 anonymously for the purpose of striking a medal. This was to be awarded to the member of the Sick Berth Staff who had shown the greatest zeal and efficiency during the previous year.

Although outwardly a simple request, their Lordships at the Admiralty, the Master of the Royal Mint, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum were all consulted. By August 1919 the announcement of the Sick Berth Stewards’ Efficiency Medal has been published in Admiralty Monthly Orders and all aspects of the award resolved with the exception of the design. A further cheque for £100 was received later that year, and because of the loss of the original cheque, a third was forwarded in January 1920. In July of that year, working models of the medal were forwarded to the Mint.
In August, however, the title ‘Sick Berth Steward’ was changed to Sick Berth Petty Officer and new models took a further six months to obtain. Delays in production ensued and the first medal was eventually awarded more than two years after the benefactor first wrote to the Admiralty. Problems concerning the

cost of the medal and investment of the balance of funds to provide an annual income dogged the Admiralty throughout and it was not until August 1922 that a solution was found.

The first recipient of the medal was Ernest W. LOWE (351127) on 1st Jan 1920.

I think it worthy to dedicate a page to listing the recipients of this medal (see below). Any recipient of the medal who has a story to tell relating to the year that they were awarded the medal should contact the Editor of the Doc RN, please.

APPEARANCE – The Sick Berth Petty Officers’ Efficiency Medal is a gold medal struck and gilded by the Royal Mint. Following the issue of a Defence Instructions & Notices (DIN), it is awarded annually to the Petty Officer Medical Assistant / Sergeant Royal Marine Medical Assistant who demonstrates exceptional zeal and efficiency in the discharge of his/her duties during the preceding year.

The older generation amongst our readers may have noticed the title of Sergeant Royal Marine Medical Assistant in the paragraph above and may wonder what is going on!! Loblolly Boy to SB Steward to SBA to MA and now RMMAs?? It is interesting to note the change in nomenclature used along the way.

Article by Les YEOMAN, National Vice Chairman of the Royal Naval Medical Branch Ratings & Sick Berth Staff Association (RNMBR & SBS) and an ex CPOMA (May 2015)

SICK BERTH PETTY OFFICERS’ EFFICIENCY MEDAL – Awarded 1920 to 2014

NAMEYEAR NAMEYEAR
Ernest LOWE1920Geoffrey MARSHALL1971
Thomas JAMES1921K. NICHOLAS1972
John FORREST1922K. BLACKSHAW1973
Arthur MEGUYER1923No Award1974
Bertie HOARE1924Brian KILLICK1975
Frank MITCHENER1925No Award1976
Harry KELLEWAY1926Malcolm SERGEANT1977
George HEATH1927G. HARRIS1978
James CROXFORD1928John COCHRANE1979
Frank TONKIN1929Ian BROWN1980
Warwick CRAMP1930Ian DOUGLAS1981
Sidney PECK1931Fred GERRELL1982
John ANDREWS1932Don CURRIE1983
Albert GUNN1933Tom TOMINEY1984
Albert EARNHAM1934Nigel WOODCOCK1985
Cyril ISLAM1935George BONNER1986
William HEWITT1936Tom McAUSLIN1987 1
Baden WHITE1937Karl RICH1987 1
Albert LANGFORD1938Rod CAIN 1988
Walter WARE1939A.M. FORBES1989
Walter MORNEMONT1940Paul BARLETTA1990
Thomas CORBETT1941Dave CLOKE1991
Will BURRIDGE1942P. FITZPATRICK1992
George CHINA1943Dave RUSSELL1993
Reg ANDREWS1944A. DAVIES1994
Robert WAINWRIGHT1945Alan WALLACE1995
Tom RUTHERFORD1946Geoff TODD1996
James DUNCAN1947Darren PARKER1997
Harry GAY1948Mick BIRCH1998
Edward GROVER1949Kev SHORE1999
Basil ROWLEY1950Daz HEMMINGS2000
Cliff ELWORTHY1951Ian RICHARDSON2001
Doug VAUGHAN1952Linda FERGUS2002
Tom BROWNE1953D. PATERSON2003
George MORRELL1954N. HUGHES2004
John BENNISON1955Dave ROPER2005
Charles BELLINGER1956G. McGUIRE2006
Joseph CONN1957T. SMITH2007
John HAMMOND1958T. HAVERS2008
No Award1959D. MORRISON2009
Eric WIGG1960Tim JOHNSTON2010
Roy ELLISON1961Mark STENT2011
Don FRASER1962Nigel CORBETT2012
John STOWE1963Shaun JENKINS 2013
K. ELLIOT1964Wendy FRADD2014
G. MICHIE1965Nick ELLERY2015
No Award1966Sarah HART2016
J. SHERIDAN1967Matthew RODWAY2017 
D. BUDDING1968Graham KIMBER2018
M. STRETTON1969Marie O’ROURKE2019
C.J. COX1970
 1.  Two awards were made for 1987