Civil Defence Long Service Medal

 

The Civil Defence Long Service Medal was instituted in March 1961 to recognise 15 years continuous spare-time voluntary service in a variety of different organizations including the Auxiliary Fire Service, National Hospital Service Reserve, United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation and the Civil Defence Corps. Qualification was extended in 1965 to include Civil Defence personnel in Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Malta, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

 

With the disbandment of the Auxiliary Fire Service, National Hospital Service Reserve, and the Civil Defence Corps in 1968 only members of the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation continued to receive the medal on the UK mainland after that date.

 

However, with the subsequent disestablishment of United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation in 1992, the medal has not been awarded on the UK mainland since that time, although it is retained and awarded to volunteers of certain voluntary organisations on the Isle of Man (ongoing) and the Warning and Monitoring Organisation on the Channel Islands until June 2007.

 

Should any of the former voluntary organisations be reformed in the future or similar organisations established, the Civil Defence Medal remains extant and awards would recommence.

 

 

The medal is oval, 32mm wide and 38mm in height and was struck in cupro-nickel. The obverse of this medal bears the crowned head of Queen Elizabeth II and the inscription; ‘ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID. DEF’.

 

The reverse depicts three shields bearing the initials of the three main services; ‘CD’, ‘AFS’ and ‘NHSR’ with an oak branch in the background.

 

A separate Northern Ireland version existed with the lower shields bearing; ‘AFRS’ and ‘HRS’.

 

The ribbon suspender is of the plain, straight and non-swivelling style attached by a fastening that surmounts the medal.

 

The recipient's details can be found on the medal's rim impressed in capital letters.

 

 

 

The ribbon is 32mm wide and dark blue in colour with three vertical stripes of yellow red and green.

 

 

A clasp bearing the words; ‘LONG SERVICE’ was issued for each further period of 12 years service.

 

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.

 

 

This section contains information on the following:-

 

- The The Civil Defence Corps.

- The Auxiliary Fire Service.

- The United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation.

 

The Civil Defence Corps - The Civil Defence Corps (CDC) was a civilian volunteer organisation established in Great Britain in 1949 to take control in the aftermath of a nuclear attack. It was stood down in Great Britain in 1968, although the Isle of Man Civil Defence Corps is still active. Civil defence corps also still exist in the Republic of Ireland, Australia (renamed the State Emergency Service in 1975) and New Zealand.

 

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 Auxiliary Fire Service - The Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) was first formed in 1938 in Great Britain as part of Civil Defence Air raid precautions. Its role was to supplement the work of brigades at local level. In this job it was hampered severely by the incompatibility of equipment used by these different brigades - most importantly the lack of a standard size of hydrant valve. The Auxiliary Fire Service and the local brigades were superseded in August 1941 by the National Fire Service.

 

Members of the AFS were unpaid part-time volunteers, but could be called up for whole-time paid service if necessary. This was very similar to the wartime establishment of the police Special Constabulary. Men and women could join, the latter mainly in an administrative role.

 

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 United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation - The United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation (UKWMO) was a British civilian organisation operating between 1957 and 1992 to provide UK military and civilian authorities, in the event of war, with data about nuclear explosions and forecasts of subsequent fallout profiles across the country.

 

The UKWMO was established and funded by the Home Office but in the main utilised Royal Observer Corps (ROC) premises and its uniformed volunteer personnel as the fieldforce. The only time the combined organisations were on high alert in the Cold War was during Cuban Missile Crisis in October and November 1962. The organisation was wound up and disbanded in November 1992 following a review prompted by the government's Options for Change report.

 

Its emblem-of-arms was a pair of classic hunting horns crossing each other, pointed upwards, with the enscrolled motto 'Sound An Alarm', a title also used for two contemporary public information films. Sparetime members of the UKWMO warning teams were awarded the Civil Defence Medal for fifteen years continuous years service, with a bar for each subsequent twelve years.

 

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.