What's that medal for? Britain's military awards explained

Mail on Sunday (UK) ^ | 31st January 2010

[naturalman1975]

In 1588, Queen Elizabeth rewarded her naval officers with the Armada Medal, cast in pure gold or silver, after the Spanish were repelled in the Channel. Since then, the state has rewarded the service of its military with a vast catalogue of crosses, ribbons, medals and orders – a system never more relevant than today, with so many of our troops in Afghanistan.

The medals shown here fall into two broad categories: campaign medals associated with a particular campaign, and honour and service medals, which are awarded for gallantry and long service respectively.

The campaign medals, which here are linked to the map, above, relate to the location of campaigns that have taken place since Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne in 1952.

The tables below – headed Honours and Other Awards – displays other service and gallantry medals available to current members of the military. The first two rows are ranked from left to right, top to bottom, in order of superiority; beyond those, there is no hierarchy.

The number of medals that have been awarded since 1952 is shown in red – some records are approximates, particularly those for long service, for which a large number of medals have been issued over a long period of time. A few are impossible to specify, as our footnotes explain.

[naturalman1975]

It is worth mentioning that these medals were also used throughout the Commonwealth until Commonwealth nations began developing their own systems to replace them - so up until the 1960s and 1970s, Canadians, Australians, and New Zealanders received these medals, and in some cases since then as well. Smaller Commonwealth nations often still use them.

[2banana]

So many of these medals are crosses. This will offend muslims. They need to change them asap!

[SandRat]

Just curious how many were ararded to foreign (U.S. Volunteers) during WWI & WWII?

[yarddog]

I always wondered what the “mentioned in dispatches” meant.

While reading a biography of Viscount Garnet Wolseley I noticed he had been mentioned in dispatches several times. It seemed to me they might have mentioned someone for being a terrible coward as much as a hero but that is obviously not what they meaning is.

[naturalman1975]

In most cases, it would be very difficult to find that out. Records for such volunteers often don’t contain their nationality (and quite a few Americans were enlisted as British if the recruiter could find an excuse to regard them as a British subject). It’s often only when an award attracted news coverage that we can work out somebody was American.

But it would be a significant number.

[Fenhalls555]

“I always wondered what the “mentioned in dispatches” meant.”

See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentioned_in_Despatches

[naturalman1975]

It means that the persons actions were published and described in The London Gazette, the official British government publication used to make public announcements of official information. All honours and military awards are gazetted. An MID is considered a fairly high honour and is given for a 'noteworthy action'. Though no medal is awarded, a device (an oak leaf) is worn on the campaign medal for the campaign in which the MID was made.

[centurion316]

The UK honours system is the best in the world, although its cousins in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are practically indistinguishable.

What makes these systems so good is that they are rarely awarded, and so each award is held in high regard by soldiers worldwide. The top valor awards of the United States are equally prestigious, and are awarded in similar numbers and circumstances. But, many of the other awards by the various services are handed out like popcorn at the movies which tends to devalue those awards that have real meaning.

Civilians, by and large, have no clue what these honors mean and dismiss them all as pompous displays by prancing militarists. They are not, and those understand respect the awards that matter.

[yarddog]

Thanks, I sort of thought it was something like that but one can never be sure when it is about the British military.

[SandRat]

I was just wondering from the case of the Eagle Squadron of the RAF during the Battle for Britain before the U.S. entered the War.

[naturalman1975]

I know a fair number of the Eagle Squadron members got the British Distinguished Flying Cross - enough that it was specifically authorised that they could wear the DFC ribbon and medal when they transferred to the USAAF after America entered the war. But I don’t know numbers

[naturalman1975]

Checking around, I can find a list of 15 Americans awarded the British DFC while serving in the Eagle Squadrons.

[SandRat]

IIRC one of your mates during Gulf War I who was ‘Seconded’ to the 11th Signal Brigade was awarded the U.S. Bronze Star as well as the Gulf War Campaign Medals. IIRC he was a Major.

[centurion316]

Mention in Dispatches (MiD) originated with the publication of letter from commanders in the London Press. It was a high honor, but not accompanied with any specific decoration.

Today, it merits a device worn on the campaign medal.

The U.S. equivalent for the U.S. Army is a Bronze Star Medal with “V” device. In U.S. service, the Bronze Star is usually awarded for Meritorious Service in a combat zone. But, when the award is made for heroism, a “V” device is displayed on the ribbon. The MiD is essentially the same level of award

[1066AD]

One of my uncles was awarded a battlefield Military Cross at Anzio, he was a Capt. in the “Red Devils” (paratroops).

[James C. Bennett]

Some foreign Victoria Cross awardees:

Bellenden Hutcheson American 1918 First World War 75th Bn Canadian Expeditionary Force Drocourt-
Quéant Support Line, France [8]

William Metcalf American 1918 First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force Arras, France [8]

George Mullin American 1917 First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force Passchendaele, Belgium [8]

William Seeley American 1864 Bombardment of Shimonoseki HMS Euryalus Shimonoseki, Japan

Raphael Zengel American 1918 First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force Warvillers, France [9]

Abdul Hafiz Indian 1944* Second World War 9th Jat Infantry Imphal, India

Ali Haidar Indian 1945 Second World War 13th Frontier Force Rifles Fusignano, Italy

Badlu Singh Indian 1918* First World War 14th Murray’s Jat Lancers River Jordan, Palestine

Bhandari Ram Indian 1944 Second World War 10th Baluch Regiment Arakan State, Burma

Chatta Singh Indian 1916 First World War 9th Bhopal Infantry Battle of the Wadi, Mesopotamia

Chhelu Ram Indian 1943* Second World War 6th Rajputana Rifles Djebel Garci, Tunisia

Darwan Negi Indian 1914 First World War 39th Garhwal Rifles Festubert, France

Fazal Din Indian 1945 Second World War 10th Baluch Regiment Meiktila, Burma

Ganju Lama Indian 1944 Second World War 7th Gurkha Rifles Ningthoukhong, Burma

Gian Singh Indian 1945 Second World War 15th Punjab Regiment Kamye, Burma

Gobar Negi Indian 1915* First World War 39th Garhwal Rifles Neuve Chapelle, France

Gobind Singh Indian 1917 First World War 2 Royal Lancers(Gardner’s Horse Peizieres, France

Ishar Singh Indian 1921 Waziristan Campaign 28th Punjab Regiment Haidari Kach, India

Kamal Ram Indian 1944 Second World War 8th Punjab Regiment River Gari, Italy

Karamjeet Judge Indian 1945* Second World War 4/15th Punjab Regiment Meiktila, Burma

Khudadad Khan Indian 1914 First World War 129th Duke of Connaught’s Own Baluchis Hollebeke, Belgium

Lala Indian 1916 First World War 41st Dogras El Orah, Mesopotamia

Mir Dast Indian 1915 First World War 55th Coke’s Rifles Wieltje, Belgium

Namdeo Jadav Indian 1945 Second World War 5th Maratha Light Infantry Senio River, Italy

Nand Singh Indian 1944 Second World War 1/11th Sikh Regiment Maungdaw–Buthidaung Road, Burma

Parkash Singh Indian 1943 Second World War 8th Punjab Regiment Donbaik, Burma

Prakash Singh Indian 1945* Second World War 13th Frontier Force Rifles Kanlan Ywathit, Burma

Premindra Bhagat Indian 1941 Second World War Corps of Indian Engineers Gallabat, Abyssinia

Ram Singh Indian 1944* Second World War 1st Punjab Regiment Kennedy Peak, Burma

Richhpal Ram Indian 1941* Second World War 6th Rajputana Rifles Keren, Eritrea

Shahamad Khan Indian 1916 First World War 89th Punjab Regiment Beit Ayeesa, Mesopotamia

Sher Shah Indian 1945* Second World War 16th Punjab Regiment Kyeyebyin, Burma

Umrao Singh Indian 1944 Second World War Royal Indian Artillery Kaladan Valley, Burma

Yeshwant Ghadge Indian 1944* Second World War Maratha Light Infantry Upper Tiber Valley, Italy

[1066AD]

George Cross (G.C.):

Noor-un-nisa Inayat-Khan "Madeleine" G.C.,M.B.E.,Mention in Despatches,Croix de Guerre (France)