Updated: 14 April, 2006

Britain - Miscellaneous Medals

Distant Lands (Mrs. Melina Rorke was awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal in 1902, and is mentioned in a dispatch by Lord Roberts on 01 Mar 1902. Her medal was presented by King Edward VII in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 26 Oct 1902. Also received The Queen's South Africa medal and The King's South Africa medal)

Purchased Commemorative Medals – They’re now Officially Unofficial – It would seem that the never-ending stream of ‘purchased commemoratives’ offered for sale has finally come to the notice of the Ministry of Defence which has issued a Defence Council Instruction forbidding their wear. The basic text of DCI 84/00 is as follows:
- Crown Servants in uniform may not wear any medal or decorations whose wear has not been authorized by The Sovereign. This includes foreign medals and decorations and unofficial medals that are sold by medal dealers and manufacturers. This latter class includes unofficial medals such as the ‘National Service Medal’, ‘Hong Kong Service Medal’, ‘BAOR Medal’, ‘Voluntary Service Medal’, General Service Cross’, ‘Combatant Service Medal’, ‘Eastern Service Medal’, ‘Peace Medal’, and “Suez Canal Zone’.
- This applies to members of the Armed Forces, members of the MOD Police, members of the MOD Guard Service and any other MOD personnel in uniform.
It is known that St. John Ambulance issued a similar Brigade Order a couple of years back which also prohibited the wearing of these items in Brigade uniform. (Reference: The Journal of the Orders and Medal Research Society, Winter 2000, Volume 39, Number 4, Page 262)

Commemorative Medals (Un-official) (The largest single list of Commemorative Medals in the world – MSM Awards – Dealers list, but extremely valuable to reference purposes)

Bomber Command - Struck for purchase by members of Bomber Command who served during World War Two.

Eastern Service Medal - Issued to mark service in the Near Middle and Far East between 1939 and 1999. Theatres covered include Hong Kong, Cyprus, Gulf, Kuwait, Suez, Burma, Singapore, Malaya, Borneo.

General Service Cross - Struck for purchase by those who served in any branch of the Regular or Part time forces.

Medal for National Service - Struck for purchase by those who undertook National Service.

National Service Medal - Struck for purchase by those who undertook National Service between 1945 and 1960.

Normandy Campaign - Struck for purchase by those who served in the Invasion of Normandy during World War Two

The Jordan Service Medal -This is yet another of those un-official medals. It is the brainchild of one man, Mr. G.E. Harris, who, having served in Jordan during the 1958 crisis felt, like many others, aggrieved that they had not had their service recognised. His Majesty King Hussein I of Jordan had actually offered to award his own medal to those British servicemen who "... gave outstanding service to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan". However, as is the British way, the idea was turned down by the Government of the day. Adding insult to injury, many of these servicemen found that their time in Jordan meant they failed to qualify for the General Service Medal 1918 (clasp: CYPRUS) from which theatre they had been detached. Having had the idea for a commemorative medal, Mr. Harris wrote to His Majesty King Hussein requesting permission to have the medal struck and to use His Majesty's portrait on the obverse. The medal design was graciously approved by the King and he even sent a Jordanian medal so that the manufacturer could accurately copy the Royal portrait. His Majesty is regularly kept up to date with the medal's progress, as he personally requested. To date, some 900 medals have been claimed. This success led to there being two versions produced, one for the 1958 crisis and another, more general, version for service in Jordan between 1948 and 1957. So there it is, a commemorative medal that is unique among other similar medals produced in recent years. It recognises the service of British servicemen carried out in a foreign country who, ignored by their own Government, are still revered by the King of the country they assisted. Approved by King Hussein and bearing the King's portrait, this commemorative medal has achieved a status that is unlikely to be equalled by any other commemorative. For those who qualify for this medal, an application form may be obtained from: Mr. G.E. Harris, 124 Haven Park Crescent, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA61 1DS, England. (Ref: JIGSAW Nos 64 & 65 1/98 & 2/98)

Boy Scout Medals

Sir Robert Baden-Powell Chief Scout of the World

Scouts' Gallantry Award for Fall Aid Two Scouts have been granted a rare award for their gallantry in rescuing a cliff fall boy. Jamie Munroe and Preston Corbett, both 14, have been awarded the Gilt Cross for Gallantry by the Chief Scout. During the summer they rescued a youngster who had fallen off the cliffs at Babbacombe by swimming to him, pulling him from the water, administering first aid to serious head injuries, summoning an ambulance and assisting the paramedics with his transport to the ambulance. Herald Express 21 Oct 03

Queen's/King's Medal for Champion Shot

The Queen's/King's Medal for Champion Shot (Sam Kremer) (Detailed information of this medal covering all Commonwealth countries)
Marksman Jaimie wins royal medal A Huddersfield sailor is a sure shot - and has got the trophy to prove it. Jaimie Stead won the Queen's Medal for the champion shot in a skill-at-arms meeting between the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines, in Bisley, Surrey. Jaimie, 37, who serves with the Royal Navy, is only the ninth member of the Royal Navy to win the prestigious Queen's Medal. Huddersfield Daily Examiner, UK - 24 Jul 2003

Royal Guernsey Militia Challenge Medal, 1850 - This shooting medal is one of several other medals illustrated on the Website of the Royal Jersey Militia

The Women's Social and Political Union's Medal for Valour

Broken Links - Posted for information purposes only:
- The Women’s Social and Political Union’s Medal for Valour

Foreign Medals Awarded to Britons

UNITAS Medal

UNITAS Medals for BMATT Members (Sep, 2000)
UNITAS Medal (South African Medal awarded to British Troops) (Nov, 2000)
UNITAS Medals for BMATT Members (Jan, 1999)

Prince of Wales Awarded Canadian Saskatchewan Order of Merit (Apr 01)

British ex-Minister gets Pinochet Award (Nov, 2000)

Tears as France honours last 13 British heroes (Awarded Legion d’honneur) (Nov 98)

Medals for veterans of Arctic convoys WWII Honoured for Braving Russia's Cold Winter (Mar 01)
- Russian Ambassador Awards Service Medals to British Veterans of ... The Russian Embassy to Great Britain hosted a ceremony to award British veterans of Arctic convoys with service medals. Ambassador Grigory Karasin handed Russian government awards, service medals issued in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the victory in World War II, to 39 British veterans. Rosbalt, Russia May 03
- Arctic convoy veterans get their medals Daily Telegraph, UK - 15 May 2003

Five SAS Heroes to get top US Honour - Five British soldiers who saved a CIA agent's life in a battle in Afghanistan are to be given the US Presidential citation. The SAS heroes, who have not been named, will get the highest honour America can give foreign troops for fighting at Mazar-e-Sharif. The last Presidential citation went to an Australian Army company in the Vietnam war in 1968. (Mar 02)

Legion of Frontiersmen Medals Focused on New Zealand, but also contains information on the medals of Australia, Canada, Belgium, and the United Kingdom (Ref: Mike Smith)

US Honours Forces Chief Targeted by Mod Smear Campaign - Brigadier Roger Lane, commander of the British marines in the recent Afghanistan conflict, was given a bronze star, a medal rarely given to officers from other nations’ armies, in recognition of “heroism or meritorious achievement or service”. (Sep 02)

Pair get Kursk Medal Two Scots have been honoured by Russia for their work in salvaging the nuclear sub Kursk. Radiation inspectors Joe Walker, 48, and Pat Philbin, 44, were the first men on board the sunken sub when it was brought to the surface. They checked it was safe for the Russians to board and retrieve the bodies of 114 of the 118 victims of the sinking. Now the Russian navy has sent medals commemorating their part in the mission. (Dec 02)

New Medal Snub to our War Heroes Furious British servicemen who fought in the jungles of Malaysia and Borneo have been told they are not allowed to accept a special Commemorative Medal from the Malaysian Government. Australia and New Zealand have accepted the Malaysian Government's offer to award the Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal. nmbva.co.uk Mar 05
Stars back Crusade to Threat Heroes with Dignity nmbva.co.uk Mar 05

Fight 4 the PJM Web Site “Pingat Jasa Malaysia” can be translated as "The Malaysian Service Medal". The medal was offered at the end of 2004 to the Commonwealth countries who served Malaysia - including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the United Kingdom and, never to be forgotten, the Gurkhas. Foreign and Commonwealth medals have to be accepted by The Queen on the advice of the Government of each Commonwealth country involved where she is head of State. After a short period of consultation the Governments of Australia and New Zealand accepted the medal without restriction for their citizens. The British Government, however, announced in the House of Lords that they would refuse the Malaysian medal for British citizens on the basis that the award was contrary to British Medals Policy. In early 2005 intensive lobbying commenced to try and reverse that decision and after a few months the Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) announced that the FCO had submitted a paper to the Committee on the Grants of Honours, Decorations and Medals (known as the HD Committee which advises The Queen on these matters) asking them to review their policy in respect of foreign awards and the PJM. After several months the HD Committee met on the 7th December 2005 to carry out the review but their recommendation was not announced until a written Ministerial Statement was made in the Commons on the 31 st January 2006 - the day after medals were presented in Australia where the medal can now be proudly worn. The British HD Committee’s recommendation, however, was that British citizens could accept the medal but they would not be allowed to wear it. This astonishing compromise means that The Queen has granted a wearable medal to her Australian and New Zealand citizens, but has refused the right to wear the PJM to her British citizens. fight4thepjm.org

Highest Catholic Church Honour for Thatcher Baroness Thatcher today received the highest honour awarded by the Catholic Church as she was invested into an ancient sacred order at Westminster Cathedral. The former Conservative Prime Minister was said to be “honoured” at being recognised for her work to promote better understanding and dialogue between different faiths. She was made Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Francesco Pompedda – the most senior Vatican cardinal to visit Britain since the Pope’s visit in 1982. News Scotsman.com 14 Nov 03
Catholic Church honours Rowan Former Archbishop of Wales Dr Rowan Williams is the first Archbishop of Canterbury to be made Knight Grand Cross - the highest grade - of the Royal Order of Francis I. The award is for developing and encouraging dialogue between Protestants and Catholics both in his time as Archbishop of Canterbury and in his previous positions. The Western Mail 15 Nov 03

Broken Links - Posted for information purposes only:
- France Awards Legion d’Honneur to John Hume
- Briton Honoured with Medal (Nicholas McWilliam given Norway's Medal of Valor - the first awarded in nearly ten years for the Åsta train disaster) (16 May 01)