Army Medal For Long Service & Good Conduct

 

The Army Long Service and Good Conduct medal was instituted in June 1830 and was originally awarded to soldiers of good conduct who had completed 21 years service in the infantry or 24 years in the cavalry.

 

In 1870, this qualifying period was reduced to 18 years for both the infantry and cavalry. During World War II officers could also be awarded this medal if they had completed at least 12 of their 18 years service in the ranks.

 

In 1930 the title of the medal was changed to the Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) Medal.

 

Before December 1977, 18 years of service was required for consideration for the Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) Medal.

 

Today, the Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) Medal is awarded to members of the British Army who have completed 15 years of reckonable service. A soldier who completes 15 years of eligible service from the date of attestation or age 17½, whichever is later, shall be eligible to receive the medal.

 

However, there are a number of offences which would normally preclude award of the Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) Medal – leading to the medal having the nickname ‘…the didn’t get caught medal’.

 

Awards are only made after a thorough check of a soldier's record of service.

 

An officer can be considered eligible for the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) Medal if 12 or more of the 15 years of his or her service have been in the ranks and provided that the other requirements for the award of the medal have been met.

 

 

The medal is circular, 36mm in diameter and is struck in silver. The original obverse of this medal depicted the royal coat of arms with a small oval shield of the House of Hanover at the centre.

 

The reverse was plain with the inscription; ‘FOR LONG SERVICE AND GOOD CONDUCT’ in large letters.

 

The obverse of the Queen Victoria issue (from 1839), saw the replacement of the House of Hanover emblem with that of Queen Victoria.

 

The reverse changed in 1874, when smaller lettering replaced the original large lettering on the reverse side.

 

The obverse of the King Edward VII (from 1901) issue, introduced the use of the effigy of the reigning monarch and the removal of the coat of arms, but the introduction of an inscription; ‘GEORGIUS BRITT: OMN: REX: ET: IND: IMP:’ (meaning George V, omnipotent King of Great Britain and Emperor of India).

 

The reverse remained unchanged.

 

The obverse of the Queen Elizabeth issue contains the inscription; ‘ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F.D’.

 

The ribbon suspender of the original medal was a small ring which was replaced by a larger version in 1831.

 

In 1855, during the Crimean War, a swiveling scroll suspension was introduced similar to that of the Crimea Medal.

 

In 1920 the swiveling scroll suspension was replaced by a fixed curved ribbon suspender bearing the inscription; ‘REGULAR ARMY’.

 

The recipient's details can be found on the medal's rim in impressed OR engraved lettering depending on date of issue.

 

 

Original Issue

 

 

The ribbon is 32mm wide and crimson in colour.

 

Post 1917 Issue

 

 

The ribbon is 32mm wide and crimson in colour with a narrow white stripe along either edge.

 

 

In 1930, when the title of the medal was changed to the Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) Medal, it was also decided to add a fixed suspension bar bearing the inscription; ‘REGULAR ARMY’ or the name of a dominion country; Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India or South Africa.

 

A clasp to the medal was introduced in 1940. This can be awarded for an additional fifteen years' service. The clasp bears an image of the Army Crest.

 

An Officer shall be eligible for the award of the clasp if 22 or more of the 30 years of his or her service has been in the ranks and provided that the other requirements have again been met.

 

When the ribbon alone is worn on a uniform a silver rosette denotes the award of the clasp.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

 

* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.

 

** The individual medal value will vary considerably based on the recipient’s details.

 

 

This section contains information on the following:-

 

- The History Of The British Army.

- The Collective British Armed Forces.

 

The History Of The British Army - The British Army is the land warfare branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being in 1707, shortly after the unification of the kingdoms of England and Scotland, forming Great Britain.

 

The new British Army succeeded the English Army, incorporating the existing Scottish regiments. It was administered by the War Office from London, which was subsumed into the Ministry of Defence in 1964. The professional head of the British Army is the Chief of the General Staff.

 

The full-time element of the British Army is referred to as the Regular Army and has been since the creation of the reservist Territorial Force in 1908. All members of the Army swear (or affirm) allegiance to the monarch as commander-in-chief. However, the Bill of Rights of 1689 requires Parliamentary consent for the Crown to maintain a standing army in peacetime.

 

Parliament approves the continued existence of the Army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years. In contrast to the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, the British Army does not include Royal in its title because, after a historic struggle between Parliament and monarchy, the British Army has always been answerable to Parliament and the British people rather than the Monarch.

 

Many of the Army's constituent regiments and corps have been granted the 'Royal' prefix and have members of the Royal Family occupying senior honorary positions within some regiments.

 

Throughout its history, the British Army has seen action in a number of major wars involving the world's great powers, including the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, World War I and World War II.

 

Repeatedly emerging victorious from these decisive wars has allowed Britain to influence world events with its policies and establish itself as one of the world's leading military and economic powers. Today, the British Army is deployed in several countries, including as an expeditionary force and a United Nations peacekeeping force.

 

Additionally, the British Army maintains five permanent overseas postings.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Collective British Armed Forces - Her Majesty's Armed Forces, commonly known as the British Armed Forces, and occasionally the Armed Forces of the Crown, are the armed forces of the United Kingdom.

 

The Armed Forces consists of three professional uniformed services: the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, forming the Naval Service, the British Army and the Royal Air Force.

 

The Commander-in-Chief of Her Majesty's Armed Forces is the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, to whom members of the forces swear allegiance. Under British constitutional law, the armed forces are subordinate to the Crown, however this power is qualified by the requirement for parliamentary consent to the maintaining of a standing army and Parliament's approval of taxation and supply of funds for the armed forces.

 

Under the 1689 Bill of Rights no standing army may be maintained during time of peace without the consent of Parliament and in modern times Parliament gives this consent every five years by passing an Armed Forces Act.

 

Consistent with longstanding constitutional convention, the Prime Minister holds de facto authority over the use of the armed forces. The armed forces are managed by the Defence Council of the Ministry of Defence, headed by the Secretary of State for Defence.

 

The British Armed Forces are charged with protecting the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and Crown Dependencies, as well as promoting Britain's wider security interests, and supporting international peacekeeping efforts.

 

They are active and regular participants in NATO and other coalition operations. Britain is also party to the Five Power Defence Arrangements. Recent operations have included wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the 2000 intervention in Sierra Leone, peacekeeping responsibilities in the Balkans and Cyprus, and participation in the UN-mandated no-fly zone over Libya. Overseas garrisons and facilities are maintained at Ascension Island, Belize, Brunei, Canada, Diego Garcia, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Kenya, Qatar and the Sovereign Base Areas (Cyprus).

 

The United Kingdom tested its first nuclear weapon under Operation Hurricane in 1952, becoming the third nation in the world to achieve the status of a nuclear power. As of 2014, Britain remains one of five recognised nuclear powers, with a total of 225 nuclear warheads. Of those, no more than 160 are deployed and active. Its nuclear deterrence system is based on Trident missiles on-board nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.