List of Medals and when they began
Dates for the Introduction of Medals as shown by the Royal Warrants Published in the London Gazette.
The aim of this document is to enhance the research efforts of users of the London Gazette website by providing an indication of the commencement of award of some of the main types of military honours.
Please note that the information that follows is the result of research in the online archive. Where warrants have not been located this should not be taken to mean that they were not published, simply that the researcher failed to locate them during the project.
Key:
NF=Not Found
NK=Not Known
NA=Not Applicable
MEDAL OR DECORATION with post-nominal letters
YEAR CREATED
LG Warrant Date
Warrant copied
Air Efficiency Award (None)
September 1942.
Replaced from April 1999 by the Volunteer Reserve Service Medal which is awarded to all ranks.
11th September 1942
Y
Air Force Cross (AFC)
3rd June 1918
Supplement, 3rd June 1918
Y
Air Force Medal (AFM)
3rd June 1918. After 1993 replaced by the Air Force Cross.
Supplement, 3rd June 1918
Y
Albert Medal (AM)
1866, revised 1867. There were 2 classes awarded - Gold and Bronze, the Gold Class ceased to be awarded in November 1949 and only Posthumous Bronze awards could be made after that. Awards of Bronze ceased in 1971 and holders were entitled to exchange their medals for the George Cross.
13th March 1866,
12th April 1867
Y
Army Emergency Reserve Decoration
November 1952.
First awards gazetted October 1953. Abolished in 1967
NF
NF
British Empire Medal (BEM)
December 1922
29th December 1922 CHECK
Burma Gallantry Medal
Instituted 1940. First awards gazetted, 26th March 1942. Last on 28th November 1947
4th September 1945
Y
MEDAL OR DECORATION with post-nominal letters
YEAR CREATED
LG Warrant Date
Warrant copied
Cadet Forces Medal (None)
February 1950 (Commissioned Officers)
First entries for COs, November 1950. Adult instructors from April 1971
NF
Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC)
October 1993
First award gazetted 9th May 1995
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM)
1855 but suspended in January 1856 after 11 awards had been made
Not applicable
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM)
1874. Replaced in 1993 by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.
All awards are gazetted from 1901.
Believed not gazetted
NF
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (Flying)
1942 Replaced in 1993 by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross..
15th January 1943
p331 but not found
Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)
June 1901 (renamed Distinguished Service Cross in October 1914)
June 28th 1901
Y
Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM)
1854. Replaced in 1993 by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.
Royal Warrant
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
June 1918
Supplement, 3rd June 1918
Y
Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM)
June 1918.
After 1993 replaced by the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Supplement, 3rd June 1918
Y
Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) formerly Conspicuous Service Cross
June 1901
28th June 1901. First awards as DSCs, 20th October 1914.
Y
Distinguished Service Medal (DSM)
October 1914.
After 1993 replaced by the Distinguished Service Cross.
NK
Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
Warrant 9th November 1886.
From 1993 awarded for leadership only. Replaced by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for gallantry
Warrant 9th November 1886
Y
MEDAL OR DECORATION with post-nominal letters
YEAR CREATED
LG Warrant Date
Warrant copied
Edward Medal (EM)
Warrant 18th October 1907.
After 1949 only granted posthumously. In 1971 living recipients were invited to exchange the medal for the George Cross.
18th October 1907
Efficiency Decoration (Territorial and TAVR) (TD)
September 1930. Replaced from April 1999 by the Volunteer Reserve Service Medal which is awarded to all ranks.
17th October 1930
Y
Efficiency Medal (Territorial and TAVR) (None)
November 1946 for officers who had served in the ranks of the TA prior to the outbreak of war. Late issues for this period are still being gazetted. Awards to other ranks are gazetted after September 1997.
17th October 1930 OK
Empire Gallantry Medal (EGM)
December 1922. Superceded by the George Cross in September 1940. Last awards gazetted 17th September 1940 and all living holders were asked to exchange their EGMs for GCs.
29th December 1922
George Cross (GC)
September 1940
24th September 1940
George Medal (GM)
September 1940
24th September 1940
Imperial Service Medal (None)
August 1902
8th August 1902
Imperial Service Order
August 1902. No UK awards after 1995.
8th August 1902
Y
Indian Distinguished Service Medal
June 1907. Obsolete after 1947.
28th June 1907
Y
King’s (later Queen’s) Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air (None)
First listed in LG of 1st January 1942
King’s Police and Fire Services Medal (KPM)
August 1940
6th September 1940
Y
King’s Police Medal (KPM)
July 1909
9th July 1909
Y
Kings (later Queen’s) Commendation for Brave Conduct (None)
First awards15th December 1939
MEDAL OR DECORATION with post-nominal letters
YEAR CREATED
LG Warrant Date
Warrant copied
Mentions in Despatches (None)
First listed in LG of 9th May 1843.
Sometimes referred to as MID and physically denoted by an oak leaf emblem.
Prior to fourth quarter 1916 these were not indexed and were included in the dispatches themselves.
After this time they are listings of the names of those commended with where and when – not why.
NA
NA
Military Cross (MC)
Warrant December 1914. First awards, 1st January 1915
Y
Military Medal (MM)
Warrant 25th March 1916. First gazetted awards on same date. Replaced by the Military Cross after 1993.
25th March 1916 repreated in 7th April 1916
Y
Order of Burma
4th September 1945
Y
Order of the British Empire
June 1917
24th August 1917
Polar Medal (None)
1904
NF
Queens Commendation for Bravery
Queens Commendation for Valuable Service
Queen’s Fire Service Medal
May 1954
4th June 1954
Queen’s Gallantry Medal (QGM)
20 June 1974
Can’ find on a computer search any awards before 26/9/74 and no warrant
Queen’s Police Medal (QPM)
Warrant 4th June 1954
4th June 1954. First award gazetted 15th June 1954
Y
Queen’s Volunteer Reserves Medal
1999.
Replaced medals for outstanding service within the Order of the British Empire
Regular Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (None)
Gazetted from October 1947 for those officers who had previously served in the ranks.
NA
NA
Royal Red Cross, Members and Associates (RRC and ARRC)
27th April 1883
Sea Gallantry Medal
Instituted in the 1805s but no awards were gazetted until 1926
Territorial Decoration and Territorial Medal see
Efficiency Decoration and Efficiency Medal
Victoria Cross (VC)
January 1856
5th February 1856
Volunteer Decoration (VD)
Warrant 29th July 1892
First awards 15th Nov 1892
29th July 1892.
Y
Volunteer Reserve Service Medal
(replaced all previous long service decorations and medals issued to the Reserve Forces)
April 1999
NK
Compiled on behalf of the London Gazette by Jon Mills, edited by Richard Goodwin
A Summary of Some of the Other Orders and Awards
The Royal Victorian Order (RVO) was established to recognise those who have served the monarch with distinction, each being appointed to one of the five grades and granted the right to use the according prefixes and/or post-nominal letters
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are:
The Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem is usually known as the Order of St John and recognises services rendered to the charitable works of the Order. In addition to being an order of chivalry but is not a State Order and membership does not confer rank or title. Notices of these awards are published in the London Gazette. The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is a UK wide Honour dedicated to recognising voluntary groups from all age groups, backgrounds and abilities who regularly devote their time to helping others in the community. Announced from Buckingham Palace by Her Majesty the Queen on 2 June each year, it is the most prestigious award in its field, the equivalent in status to the MBE and the highest UK Honour specifically rewarding the work of volunteer groups. To date nearly 600 groups have received the award. For more information on how to nominate a group in your community go to: www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk
The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion recognises individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to promoting business enterprise skills and attitudes in other people – for example amongst young people or those in disadvantaged communities or in under-represented groups. These activities could be at a national, regional or local level. For further information go to www.queensawards.org.uk/individual
Summary of post nominal letters Summary of post nominal letters
Order
Est.
Levels
Order of the Garter
1348
K/LG
-
-
-
-
-
Order of the Thistle
1687
K/LT
-
-
-
-
-
Order of the Bath
1725
GCB
K/DCB
CB
-
-
-
Order of Merit
1902
OM
-
-
-
-
-
Order of St Michael And St George
1818
GCMG
K/DCMG
CMG
-
-
-
Royal Victorian Order
1896
GCVO
K/DCVO
CVO
LVO
MVO
RVM
Order of the British Empire
1917
GBE
K/DBE
CBE
OBE
MBE
BEM
Order of the Companions of Honour
1917
CH
-
-
-
-
-
Distinguished Service Order
1886
-
-
DSO
-
-
-
Imperial Service Order
1902
-
-
ISO
-
-
ISM
For more information on the present Honours System please see: www.honours.gov.uk
A further source of useful information is the Guide to Using the London Gazette by the Guildhall Library, the March 2010 update can be downloaded from:
http://217.154.230.218/NR/rdonlyres/A4EAD798-CF0B-4AD0-B58A-C28050A1A126/0/23LondonGazetteKRBMar2010.pdf
The aim of this document is to enhance the research efforts of users of the London Gazette website by providing an indication of the commencement of award of some of the main types of military honours.
Please note that the information that follows is the result of research in the online archive. Where warrants have not been located this should not be taken to mean that they were not published, simply that the researcher failed to locate them during the project.
Key:
NF=Not Found
NK=Not Known
NA=Not Applicable
MEDAL OR DECORATION with post-nominal letters
YEAR CREATED
LG Warrant Date
Warrant copied
Air Efficiency Award (None)
September 1942.
Replaced from April 1999 by the Volunteer Reserve Service Medal which is awarded to all ranks.
11th September 1942
Y
Air Force Cross (AFC)
3rd June 1918
Supplement, 3rd June 1918
Y
Air Force Medal (AFM)
3rd June 1918. After 1993 replaced by the Air Force Cross.
Supplement, 3rd June 1918
Y
Albert Medal (AM)
1866, revised 1867. There were 2 classes awarded - Gold and Bronze, the Gold Class ceased to be awarded in November 1949 and only Posthumous Bronze awards could be made after that. Awards of Bronze ceased in 1971 and holders were entitled to exchange their medals for the George Cross.
13th March 1866,
12th April 1867
Y
Army Emergency Reserve Decoration
November 1952.
First awards gazetted October 1953. Abolished in 1967
NF
NF
British Empire Medal (BEM)
December 1922
29th December 1922 CHECK
Burma Gallantry Medal
Instituted 1940. First awards gazetted, 26th March 1942. Last on 28th November 1947
4th September 1945
Y
MEDAL OR DECORATION with post-nominal letters
YEAR CREATED
LG Warrant Date
Warrant copied
Cadet Forces Medal (None)
February 1950 (Commissioned Officers)
First entries for COs, November 1950. Adult instructors from April 1971
NF
Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC)
October 1993
First award gazetted 9th May 1995
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM)
1855 but suspended in January 1856 after 11 awards had been made
Not applicable
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM)
1874. Replaced in 1993 by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.
All awards are gazetted from 1901.
Believed not gazetted
NF
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (Flying)
1942 Replaced in 1993 by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross..
15th January 1943
p331 but not found
Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)
June 1901 (renamed Distinguished Service Cross in October 1914)
June 28th 1901
Y
Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM)
1854. Replaced in 1993 by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.
Royal Warrant
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
June 1918
Supplement, 3rd June 1918
Y
Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM)
June 1918.
After 1993 replaced by the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Supplement, 3rd June 1918
Y
Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) formerly Conspicuous Service Cross
June 1901
28th June 1901. First awards as DSCs, 20th October 1914.
Y
Distinguished Service Medal (DSM)
October 1914.
After 1993 replaced by the Distinguished Service Cross.
NK
Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
Warrant 9th November 1886.
From 1993 awarded for leadership only. Replaced by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for gallantry
Warrant 9th November 1886
Y
MEDAL OR DECORATION with post-nominal letters
YEAR CREATED
LG Warrant Date
Warrant copied
Edward Medal (EM)
Warrant 18th October 1907.
After 1949 only granted posthumously. In 1971 living recipients were invited to exchange the medal for the George Cross.
18th October 1907
Efficiency Decoration (Territorial and TAVR) (TD)
September 1930. Replaced from April 1999 by the Volunteer Reserve Service Medal which is awarded to all ranks.
17th October 1930
Y
Efficiency Medal (Territorial and TAVR) (None)
November 1946 for officers who had served in the ranks of the TA prior to the outbreak of war. Late issues for this period are still being gazetted. Awards to other ranks are gazetted after September 1997.
17th October 1930 OK
Empire Gallantry Medal (EGM)
December 1922. Superceded by the George Cross in September 1940. Last awards gazetted 17th September 1940 and all living holders were asked to exchange their EGMs for GCs.
29th December 1922
George Cross (GC)
September 1940
24th September 1940
George Medal (GM)
September 1940
24th September 1940
Imperial Service Medal (None)
August 1902
8th August 1902
Imperial Service Order
August 1902. No UK awards after 1995.
8th August 1902
Y
Indian Distinguished Service Medal
June 1907. Obsolete after 1947.
28th June 1907
Y
King’s (later Queen’s) Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air (None)
First listed in LG of 1st January 1942
King’s Police and Fire Services Medal (KPM)
August 1940
6th September 1940
Y
King’s Police Medal (KPM)
July 1909
9th July 1909
Y
Kings (later Queen’s) Commendation for Brave Conduct (None)
First awards15th December 1939
MEDAL OR DECORATION with post-nominal letters
YEAR CREATED
LG Warrant Date
Warrant copied
Mentions in Despatches (None)
First listed in LG of 9th May 1843.
Sometimes referred to as MID and physically denoted by an oak leaf emblem.
Prior to fourth quarter 1916 these were not indexed and were included in the dispatches themselves.
After this time they are listings of the names of those commended with where and when – not why.
NA
NA
Military Cross (MC)
Warrant December 1914. First awards, 1st January 1915
Y
Military Medal (MM)
Warrant 25th March 1916. First gazetted awards on same date. Replaced by the Military Cross after 1993.
25th March 1916 repreated in 7th April 1916
Y
Order of Burma
4th September 1945
Y
Order of the British Empire
June 1917
24th August 1917
Polar Medal (None)
1904
NF
Queens Commendation for Bravery
Queens Commendation for Valuable Service
Queen’s Fire Service Medal
May 1954
4th June 1954
Queen’s Gallantry Medal (QGM)
20 June 1974
Can’ find on a computer search any awards before 26/9/74 and no warrant
Queen’s Police Medal (QPM)
Warrant 4th June 1954
4th June 1954. First award gazetted 15th June 1954
Y
Queen’s Volunteer Reserves Medal
1999.
Replaced medals for outstanding service within the Order of the British Empire
Regular Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (None)
Gazetted from October 1947 for those officers who had previously served in the ranks.
NA
NA
Royal Red Cross, Members and Associates (RRC and ARRC)
27th April 1883
Sea Gallantry Medal
Instituted in the 1805s but no awards were gazetted until 1926
Territorial Decoration and Territorial Medal see
Efficiency Decoration and Efficiency Medal
Victoria Cross (VC)
January 1856
5th February 1856
Volunteer Decoration (VD)
Warrant 29th July 1892
First awards 15th Nov 1892
29th July 1892.
Y
Volunteer Reserve Service Medal
(replaced all previous long service decorations and medals issued to the Reserve Forces)
April 1999
NK
Compiled on behalf of the London Gazette by Jon Mills, edited by Richard Goodwin
A Summary of Some of the Other Orders and Awards
The Royal Victorian Order (RVO) was established to recognise those who have served the monarch with distinction, each being appointed to one of the five grades and granted the right to use the according prefixes and/or post-nominal letters
- Knight or Dame Grand Cross (prefix: Sir or Dame, post-nominal: GCVO)
- Knight or Dame Commander (prefix: Sir or Dame, post-nominal: KCVO or DCVO)
- Commander (post-nominal: CVO)
- Lieutenant (post-nominal: LVO)
- Member (post-nominal: MVO)
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are:
- Knight Grand Cross (GBE) or Dame Grand Cross (GBE)
- Knight Commander (KBE) or Dame Commander (DBE)
- Commander (CBE)
- Officer (OBE)
- Member (MBE)
The Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem is usually known as the Order of St John and recognises services rendered to the charitable works of the Order. In addition to being an order of chivalry but is not a State Order and membership does not confer rank or title. Notices of these awards are published in the London Gazette. The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is a UK wide Honour dedicated to recognising voluntary groups from all age groups, backgrounds and abilities who regularly devote their time to helping others in the community. Announced from Buckingham Palace by Her Majesty the Queen on 2 June each year, it is the most prestigious award in its field, the equivalent in status to the MBE and the highest UK Honour specifically rewarding the work of volunteer groups. To date nearly 600 groups have received the award. For more information on how to nominate a group in your community go to: www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk
The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion recognises individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to promoting business enterprise skills and attitudes in other people – for example amongst young people or those in disadvantaged communities or in under-represented groups. These activities could be at a national, regional or local level. For further information go to www.queensawards.org.uk/individual
Summary of post nominal letters Summary of post nominal letters
Order
Est.
Levels
Order of the Garter
1348
K/LG
-
-
-
-
-
Order of the Thistle
1687
K/LT
-
-
-
-
-
Order of the Bath
1725
GCB
K/DCB
CB
-
-
-
Order of Merit
1902
OM
-
-
-
-
-
Order of St Michael And St George
1818
GCMG
K/DCMG
CMG
-
-
-
Royal Victorian Order
1896
GCVO
K/DCVO
CVO
LVO
MVO
RVM
Order of the British Empire
1917
GBE
K/DBE
CBE
OBE
MBE
BEM
Order of the Companions of Honour
1917
CH
-
-
-
-
-
Distinguished Service Order
1886
-
-
DSO
-
-
-
Imperial Service Order
1902
-
-
ISO
-
-
ISM
For more information on the present Honours System please see: www.honours.gov.uk
A further source of useful information is the Guide to Using the London Gazette by the Guildhall Library, the March 2010 update can be downloaded from:
http://217.154.230.218/NR/rdonlyres/A4EAD798-CF0B-4AD0-B58A-C28050A1A126/0/23LondonGazetteKRBMar2010.pdf