The Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military)

George R.I.

George the Fifth, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India, to all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting!

Whereas His late Majesty King William the Fourth did by Order signified to the Secretary at War and dated 30 July 1830 institute a silver medal to be granted to discharged soldiers of Our Army receiving a gratuity for meritorious conduct, the Medal having on one side the words “For Long Service and Good Conduct” and on the other side in relief the King's Arms with the name and rank of the soldier, and the year inscribed thereon:

And whereas the existing regulations governing the award of the Medal are laid down in Our Regulations for Our Army, and Our Warrant for the Pay, Appointment, Promotion and Non-Effective Pay of Our Army:

And whereas Her late Majesty Queen Victoria by a Warrant under Her Sign Manual dated 31 May 1895 did approve of the grant of medals for meritorious service, for distinguished conduct, and for long service to warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men of Our Indian Forces, of Our Colonial Forces, and of Forces raised for Our service in countries under Our protection:

And whereas We are desirous that throughout Our Empire and territories under Our protection there may be one medal to reward the Long Service and Good Conduct of warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men of Our Regular Army and the other Permanent Forces of Our Empire and territories under Our protection, hereinafter referred to as the other Permanent Forces of Our Empire, and that thereby the Imperial character of such service may be recognised:

And whereas it has been represented to Us that the grant of the aforesaid Medal to duly qualified members of Our Regular Army and the other Permanent Military Forces of Our Empire would be highly prized by them:

And whereas We deem it expedient to make, ordain and establish rules and ordinances under Our Sign Manual for the governance of the aforesaid Medal:

Now therefore, We do by these Presents for Us, Our Heirs and Successors make, ordain and establish the following rules and ordinances which shall henceforth be inviolably observed and kept:

Firstly: It is ordained that the Medal shall be designated “The Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military)”.

Secondly: It is ordained that the Medal shall be of silver and shall bear in relief on the obverse the Royal and Imperial Effigy and on the reverse the inscription “For Long Service and Good Conduct”.

Thirdly: It is ordained that the Medal shall be worn suspended on the left breast by a crimson ribbon, edged white, 1 inch and a quarter in width.

Fourthly: It is ordained that the Medal shall in all cases bear a subsidiary title to denote whether at the time the recipient qualified for the award of the Medal he was serving in Our Regular Army or in one of the other Permanent Forces of Our Empire, such subsidiary title being specified in the regulations hereinafter mentioned and inscribed on a bar attached to the mount of the Medal.

Fifthly: It is ordained that the Medal shall be awarded to warrant officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of Our Regular Army and of the other Permanent Forces of Our Empire who complete 18 years' service as defined in the regulations hereinafter mentioned and whose character and conduct have been irreproachable and who are recommended by their Commanding Officers.

Sixthly: It is ordained that service as aforesaid rendered by a soldier whilst under the age of 18 years shall reckon as qualifying service for the Medal, and that service in West Africa and in certain parts of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan as specified in the regulations hereinafter mentioned shall reckon two-fold as qualifying service.

Seventhly: It is ordained that service in a Reserve or in any Militia, Territorial, Volunteer or Auxiliary Military Force or in any other force or organisation not involving whole-time military service shall not reckon as qualifying service for the Medal, except that when such Reserve, Militia, or Force is mobilised, embodied, or called out on permanent service in an emergency, the period during which a member of such Reserve, Militia or Force is actually employed on whole-time service shall reckon as qualifying service.

Eighthly: It is ordained that the Medal shall not be awarded to natives in respect of service in corps for which special medals for long service and good conduct are already granted and nothing contained in this Warrant shall affect the conditions governing the award of such Medals.

Ninthly: It is ordained that it shall be competent for Our Army Council in regard to our Regular Army, or, for the Governors-General, Governors or Officers administering the Government, as the case may be, in regard to the Permanent Force of one of Our respective Dominions, Colonies, or territories under Our protection, or for Our Viceroy in regard to Our Indian Army to cancel and annul the award of the Medal to any person, together with the award which may be granted under the regulations hereinafter mentioned of any gratuity appertaining thereto not already paid, and also to restore a forfeited Medal, together with any such gratuity, under the conditions laid down in the regulations hereinafter mentioned.

Tenthly: It is ordained that the Medal shall be awarded under such regulations as to grant, forfeiture, restoration, and other matters, in amplification of these Our rules and ordinances as may, with Our approval signified through one of Our Principal Secretaries of State, be issued from time to time by Our Army Council in regard to Our Regular Army or by the Governors-General, Governors or Officers administering the Government, as the case may be, in regard to the Permanent Forces of Our respective Dominions, Colonies, or territories under Our protection, or by Our Viceroy in regard to Our Indian Army.

Lastly: We reserve to Ourself, Our Heirs and Successors, full power of annulling, altering, abrogating, augmenting, interpreting, or dispensing with these rules and ordinances, or any part thereof, by a notification under Our Sign Manual.

The Warrant of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria dated 31 May 1895 in so far as it relates to the grant of medals for long service, is hereby cancelled.

The Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military)

George R.I.

George the Sixth, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India, to all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting!

Whereas His late Majesty King George V, by a Warrant under His Sign Manual dated 23 September 1930 was pleased to make, ordain and establish rules and ordinances for the governance of the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) reserving to Himself, His Heirs and Successors full power of annulling, altering, abrogating, augmenting, interpreting or dispensing with those rules and ordinances, or any part thereof by a notification under Royal Sign Manual;

And whereas We are desirous of providing for the additional award to a warrant officer, non-commissioned officer or man who completes a further 18 years' service, of a Clasp to be attached to the ribbon by which the medal is suspended or, if in possession of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Army), for the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military);

Now therefore We do by these Presents for Us, Our Heirs and Successors ordain and appoint that the Fifth Clause of the said Warrant shall be amended by the addition after the word “Officers” of the following sub-paragraph:

It is further ordained that a warrant officer, non-commissioned officer or man who completes a further 18 years' service as defined in the regulations hereinafter mentioned and reckoned from the date of the Army Order notifying the award to him of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military) or the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Army), and whose character and conduct have been irreproachable and who is specially recommended by his Commanding Officer, shall, if in possession of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military), be awarded a Clasp to be attached to the ribbon by which the medal is suspended, or, if in possession of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Army), be awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military), such additional award being without pecuniary benefit or gain.

The Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military)

George R.I.

George the Sixth, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India, to all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting!

Whereas His late Majesty King George V, by a Warrant under His Sign Manual, dated 23 September 1930 was pleased to make, ordain and establish rules and ordinances for the governance of the medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military), reserving to Himself, His Heirs and Successors full power of annulling, altering, abrogating, augmenting, interpreting, or dispensing with those rules and ordinances, or any part thereof by a notification under Royal Sign Manual;

And whereas We are desirous of amending the date of eligibility for the award of the clasp to the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military) as instituted by a Warrant under Our Sign Manual dated 26 August 1944;

And whereas We are desirous of amending the date of eligibility for the additional award of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military) as ordained by a Warrant under Our Sign Manual dated 26 August 1944;

And whereas We are also desirous that those warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men who are subsequently granted a Commission should not, in certain circumstances, be debarred from the award of the said medal or clasp;

Now therefore We do by these Presents for Us, Our Heirs and Successors ordain and appoint that the Fifth Clause of the said Warrant shall be amended by the deletion of the second sub-paragraph and that the following sub-paragraph shall be substituted:

It is further ordained that warrant officers, non-commissioned officers or men who complete a further 18 years' service, as defined in the regulations hereinafter mentioned, reckoned from the qualifying date for the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military) or the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Army) as shown in Army Orders or, who, in cases where the date of qualification has not been published in Army Orders at the time of the award, complete a second period of 18 years' service beginning the day following the date of completion of the first period of approved qualifying service, and whose character and conduct have been irreproachable, and who are specially recommended by their Commanding Officer, shall, if in possession of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military), be awarded a clasp to be attached to the ribbon by which the medal is suspended, or, if in possession of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Army), be awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military), such additional award being without pecuniary benefit or gain.

And We do further ordain and appoint that the following new clause shall be inserted in the said Warrant numbered “Sixthly” and that the remaining clauses be re-numbered “Seventhly” to “Eleventhly”:

Sixthly: It is ordained that warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men of Our Regular Army and of the other Permanent Forces of Our Empire appointed to an Emergency or a Regular Commission in Our Regular Army or other Permanent Forces of Our Empire subsequent to 2 September 1939 shall be eligible to qualify for the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military), without gratuity, on completion of 18 years' service, provided that not less than 12 years' service was completed in the ranks of Our Regular Army or other Permanent Forces of Our Empire;

It is further ordained that warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men of Our Regular Army and the other Permanent Forces of Our Empire appointed to an Emergency or a Regular Commission in Our Regular Army or other Permanent Forces of Our Empire subsequent to 2 September 1939, who complete the first 9 years of the second period of approved qualifying service in the ranks of Our Regular Army or other Permanent Forces of Our Empire, shall, if in possession of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military), be eligible to qualify for the award of a clasp to be attached to the ribbon by which the medal is suspended, or, if in possession of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Army), be eligible for consideration for the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military), such additional award being without pecuniary benefit or gain.

The Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military)

Elizabeth R

Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting!

Whereas We are desirous that women members of Our Regular Army of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of the Permanent full-time Army Forces of Member Countries of the Commonwealth overseas, the Governments whereof shall so desire, and of Our Colonies or Countries under Our Protection shall be eligible to qualify for the award of the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) under the same terms as those applying to other personnel of the aforesaid Land Forces:

Now therefore We do by these Presents for Us, Our Heirs and Successors, ordain that the rules and ordinances promulgated by His late Majesty King George V, by a Warrant under his Royal Sign Manual, dated 23 September 1930 as subsequently amended and modified, shall apply to women members of Our Regular Army of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of the Permanent full-time Army Forces of Member Countries of the Commonwealth overseas, the Governments whereof have signified their desire that the Medal should be awarded under the provisions of this Our Warrant, and of Our Colonies or Countries under Our protection.