R.A.F. Medal For Long Service & Good Conduct

 

The RAF Long Service and Good Conduct Medal was instituted in July 1919. An airman who completed 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 RAF Long Service and Good Conduct 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.

 

Prior to 1945, conduct considered to be below the required standard could still count towards the required total if the airman had performed excellent conduct or gallantry before an enemy or some other crisis.

 

Prior to 1944 up to 4 years of the required total could have been earned in either the Royal Navy or Army before the serviceman had transferred to the Royal Air Force.

 

Since 1947, RAF Officers could be awarded this 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. Before December 1977, 18 years of service was required for consideration for the RAF Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

 

 

The medal is circular, 36mm in diameter and is struck in silver. The obverse of this medal bears the effigy of the reigning monarch.

 

The reverse depicts the image of the Royal Air Force eagle with outstretched wings surmounted by a Crown with the inscription; ‘FOR LONG SERVICE AND GOOD CONDUCT’.

 

The ribbon suspender is of the swivelling ornate scroll style either riveted to the medal or 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 is composed of equally sized central stripes of maroon and dark blue with a narrow white stipe along either edge.

 

 

From 1944, clasps to the medal were issued for successfully completed additional periods of either 18 or 15 years. The clasp bears the image of an eagle with outstretched wings surmounted by the Crown.

 

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 Royal Air Force..

- The Collective British Armed Forces.

 

The History Of The Royal Air Force - The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed toward the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918,it is the oldest independent air force in the world.

 

Following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged - at the time - the largest air force in the world. Since its formation, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history, in particular, playing a large part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign, the Battle of Britain.

 

The RAF's mission is to support the objectives of the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), which are to '…provide the capabilities needed: to ensure the security and defence of the United Kingdom and overseas territories, including against terrorism; to support the Government’s foreign policy objectives particularly in promoting international peace and security'.

 

The RAF describes its mission statement as '... (to provide) An agile, adaptable and capable Air Force that, person for person, is second to none, and that makes a decisive air power contribution in support of the UK Defence Mission'.

 

The mission statement is supported by the RAF's definition of air power, which guides its strategy. Air power is defined as: 'The ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events'.

 

Today the Royal Air Force maintains an operational fleet of various types of aircraft, described by the RAF as being 'leading-edge' in terms of technology. This largely consists of fixed-wing aircraft, including: fighter and strike aircraft, airborne early warning and control aircraft, ISTAR and SIGINT aircraft, aerial refueling aircraft and strategic and tactical transport aircraft.

 

The majority of the RAF's rotary aircraft form part of the tri-service Joint Helicopter Command in support of ground forces. Most of the RAF's aircraft and personnel are based in the UK, with many others serving on operations (principally Afghanistan) or at long-established overseas bases (Ascension Island, Cyprus, Gibraltar, and the Falkland Islands).

 

Although the RAF is the principal British air power arm, the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm and the British Army's Army Air Corps also deliver air power which is integrated into the maritime, littoral and land environments.

 

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.