Specimen clasp 'MIDDLE EAST' for Australian Service Medal 1945 - 1975

Places	Africa: Egypt, Frontier, Sinai Middle East Middle East: French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Lebanon Middle East: Syria Oceania: Australia
Accession Number	REL31532
Collection type	Heraldry
Object type	Medal
Physical description	Nickel Silver (alloy)
Maker	Royal Australian Mint
Place made	Australia
Date made	c 1995
Conflict	Period 1950-1959 Period 1970-1979 Period 1960-1969

Description

Specimen clasp 'MIDDLE EAST' for the Australian Service Medal 1945 - 1975.

History / Summary

The Australian Service Medal (1945 - 1975) was established in 1995 to recognise service by Australian forces in peacekeeping and/or non-warlike operations not already being recognised by the award of an individual campaign medal. Operations considered for inclusion must have taken place between 3 September 1945 and 16 September 1975. The ASM cannot be issued without a clasp. The clasp 'Middle East' was approved for personnel serving between 11 July and 9 December 1958 with the United Nations Observer Group in Lebanon, between 4 July 1963 and 4 September 1964 with UNYOM (United Nations Yemen Observations Mission), between 25 October 1973 and 11 February 1975 with UNEF II (the second United Nations Emergency Force) in the Sinai, or between 3 June 1974 and 11 February 1975 with UNDOF (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) in Syria. Only 14 clasps were issued, all to members of the Army.