Memorial Cross
Encyclopedia
The Memorial Cross often known as the Silver Cross, is a Canadian
medal
awarded to the mother
, widow
, widower, or next of kin
of any member of the Canadian Forces
who loses his or her life in active service, including peacekeeping, and other such international operations.
, symbolizing the Canadian monarch's role as the fount of honour
, and at the end of the other arms a maple leaf. At the centre, within a laurel wreath, is the reigning monarch's Royal Cypher
. This medallion is worn on the left chest, on a 38 millimetres (1.5 in) wide ribbon coloured solid, light purple, which is attached to the cross by a silver ring. However, since January 1945, the Memorial Cross has been presented with a straight silver brooch bar in place of the purple ribbon.
, on the advice of his Cabinet
under Prime Minister
Robert Borden
, created the Memorial Cross as a memento of personal loss and sacrifice on the part of widows and mothers of Canadian sailors, soldiers, and airmen who had lost their lives for the country during the First World War
. The medal was granted to a widower for the first time on 19 May 2006, when it went to Jason Beam, husband of Nichola Goddard
, and in January 2007 the criteria for awarding the Memorial Cross were altered, retroactive to 6 October 2001, so that all service related deaths were to be recognised, not simply those occurring during overseas missions. Further, the regulations were again changed in January 2009 to allow for the award of up to three crosses to a service member's family, also retroactive to 6 October 2001. The Silver Cross Mother
is still chosen annually from the ranks of mothers who have received the medal.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
medal
Medal
A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
awarded to the mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
, widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
, widower, or next of kin
Next of kin
Next of kin is a term with many interpretations depending on the jurisdiction being referred to. In some jurisdictions, such as the United States, it is used to describe a person's closest living blood relative or relatives...
of any member of the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
who loses his or her life in active service, including peacekeeping, and other such international operations.
Design
The Memorial Cross is in the form of a silver cross patonce with at the top of the vertical arm a St. Edward's CrownSt. Edward's Crown
St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels, being the official coronation crown used in the coronation of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realms monarchs...
, symbolizing the Canadian monarch's role as the fount of honour
Fount of honour
The fount of honour refers to a nation's head of state, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry to other persons.- Origin :...
, and at the end of the other arms a maple leaf. At the centre, within a laurel wreath, is the reigning monarch's Royal Cypher
Royal Cypher
In modern heraldry, a royal cypher is a monogram-like device of a country's reigning sovereign, typically consisting of the initials of the monarch's name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a crown. In the case where such a cypher is used by an emperor or empress, it is called...
. This medallion is worn on the left chest, on a 38 millimetres (1.5 in) wide ribbon coloured solid, light purple, which is attached to the cross by a silver ring. However, since January 1945, the Memorial Cross has been presented with a straight silver brooch bar in place of the purple ribbon.
Eligibility and presentation
On 1 December 1919, King George VGeorge V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, on the advice of his Cabinet
Cabinet of Canada
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada...
under Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Robert Borden
Robert Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden, PC, GCMG, KC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the eighth Prime Minister of Canada from October 10, 1911 to July 10, 1920, and was the third Nova Scotian to hold this office...
, created the Memorial Cross as a memento of personal loss and sacrifice on the part of widows and mothers of Canadian sailors, soldiers, and airmen who had lost their lives for the country during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The medal was granted to a widower for the first time on 19 May 2006, when it went to Jason Beam, husband of Nichola Goddard
Nichola Goddard
Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard, MSM was the first female Canadian combat soldier killed in combat, and the 16th Canadian soldier killed in Canadian operations in Afghanistan.-Profile:...
, and in January 2007 the criteria for awarding the Memorial Cross were altered, retroactive to 6 October 2001, so that all service related deaths were to be recognised, not simply those occurring during overseas missions. Further, the regulations were again changed in January 2009 to allow for the award of up to three crosses to a service member's family, also retroactive to 6 October 2001. The Silver Cross Mother
Silver Cross Mother
A Silver Cross Mother is chosen each year by the Royal Canadian Legion to lay a wreath during the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on behalf of all mothers who have lost children in the service of their country. The title is named for the Silver Cross, a medal awarded...
is still chosen annually from the ranks of mothers who have received the medal.
See also
- Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada
- Sacrifice MedalSacrifice MedalThe Sacrifice Medal is a decoration that was created in 2008 as a replacement for the Wound Stripe, being gifted by the Canadian monarch, generally through his or her viceroy-in-Council, to members of the Canadian Forces or allied forces who were wounded or killed in action.-Design:The Sacrifice...
- Elizabeth CrossElizabeth CrossThe Elizabeth Cross is a commemorative emblem given to the recognised next of kin of members of the British Armed Forces killed in action or as a result of a terrorist attack after the Second World War...