The Pacific Star was awarded for service in the Pacific Theatre of Operations between 8 December 1941 and 2 September 1945.
Navy and Merchant Navy personnel were eligible if the 1939-45 Star was earned by 6 months service, or if they entered the Pacific Theatre between 2 March 1945 and 2 September 1945.
Initially there was no mention of Army personnel on Centaur and consequently the Pacific Star was not awarded to members of the Ship’s Medical Staff or the 2/12th Field Ambulance at war’s end.
The Association has recently discovered that on the 4th September 1996, the Commonwealth of Australia issued an ‘Amendment to Conditions (Gazette S326)’ for the entitlement to the Pacific Star. This amendment states that “the Pacific Star may be awarded to any member of the Australian Defence Force who was on board the Australian Hospital Ship CENTAUR when it was torpedoed and sunk on 14 May 1943”.
Where this award has not been previously issued, the family/next of kin may make an application to the Department of Defence to request the Pacific Star be issued in the name of their serving relative. We are unsure of the status of the Merchant Navy but from our enquiries it would seem that those eligible would have received the Pacific Star at war’s end as shown in the photo of a veteran merchant seaman’s awards. Applications for the Pacific Star can be made through the following link:
www.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/honours-awards
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