| The George Medal |
 
Obverse (top left) and reverse (top right) of the medal. Ribbon: 32mm, crimson with five narrow blue stripes. |
| Awarded by UK and Comonwealth |
| Type | Civil decoration. |
| Eligibility | Those performing acts of bravery in, or meriting recognition by, the United Kingdom. |
| Awarded for | "... acts of great bravery." |
| Status | Currently awarded. |
| Description | Silver disc, 36mm diameter. |
| Post-nominals | GM |
| Statistics |
| Established | 24 September 1940 |
| Total awarded | approx 2,000 |
| Precedence |
| Next (higher) | George Cross |
| Next (lower) | Queen's Gallantry Medal, Sea Gallantry Medal |
The George Medal (GM) is the second level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.[1]
The GM was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI.[2] At this time, during the height of The Blitz, there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage. The existing awards open to civilians were not judged suitable to meet the new situation, therefore it was decided that the George Cross and the George Medal would be instituted to recognise both civilian gallantry in the face of enemy action and brave deeds more generally.
Announcing the new award, the King said: "In order that they should be worthily and promptly recognised, I have decided to create, at once, a new mark of honour for men and women in all walks of civilian life. I propose to give my name to this new distinction, which will consist of the George Cross, which will rank next to the Victoria Cross, and the George Medal for wider distribution."[citation needed]
The Warrant for the GM (along with that of the GC), dated 24 January 1941, was published in the London Gazette on 31 January 1941.
The medal is granted in recognition of "acts of great bravery."[3] The GM was originally not issued posthumously, however the warrant was amended in 1977 to allow posthumous awards, several of which have been subsequently made.[4]
The medal is primarily a civilian award; however The George Medal may be awarded to military personnel for gallant conduct which is not in the face of the enemy.[5] As the Warrant states:
- The Medal is intended primarily for civilians and award in Our military services is to be confined to actions for which purely military Honours are not normally granted.[6]
Bars are awarded to the GM in recognition of the performance of further acts of bravery meriting the award. In undress uniform or on occasions when the medal ribbon alone is worn, a silver rosette is worn on the ribbon to indicate each bar.[7] Recipients are entitled to the postnominal letters GM.[8]
The details of all awards to British and Commonwealth recipients are published in the London Gazette.
[edit] Description
- The George Medal is a circular silver medal. The obverse depicts the crowned effigy of the reigning monarch and a legend.
- The reverse show St. George on horseback slaying the dragon on the coast of England, with the legend THE GEORGE MEDAL around the top edge of the medal
- The ribbon is red with five equally spaced thin blue stripes. The blue colour is taken from the George Cross ribbon.
[edit] Notable recipients
- George Roberts Railway man awarded the George Medal in recognition of the leading part which he played Liverpool May Blitz
- Hilton Alomes - Tasmanian police inspector who rescued two people from a flood (1960)
- John Bridge - Bomb disposal expert of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (World War II)
- Arthur Cobby - Royal Australian Air Force pilot (World War II)
- Lionel "Buster" Crabb - Royal Navy frogman (World War II)
- John Edward Dillon - Able Bodied Seaman on HMS Ardent who during the Falklands War rescued another sailor before the ship sank (1982) [9]
- Marie Dissard - French Resistance member (World War II)
- Michou Dumont - Basque teenager who rescued downed airmen (World War II)
- Edward Nurse - RUC officer; saved two children from a bomb in an RUC police station.
- Florentino Goicoechea - Basque who smuggled allied airmen out of France (World War II)
- Leon Goldsworthy - Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve bomb and mine specialist (World War II)
- Elvire de Greef (also known as: 'Tante Go') Smuggled downed airmen out of France (World War II)
- Maurice Griffiths - Royal Navy Officer and yachtsman; defused floating German magnetic mimes (World War II)
- Krystyna Skarbek (also known as: 'Christine Granville') - Female Special Operations Executive Agent (World War II)
- Mike Hailwood - Racing driver; pulled fellow driver Clay Regazzoni from his burning racing car, setting fire to his own race suit in the process (1973)
- Countess Andrée de Jongh - Belgian Resistance member (World War II)
- Stanley McArdle - Royal Navy Officer; Rescued survivors from the ferry MV Princess Victoria (1953)
- Bernard Peter de Neumann - Merchant Navy Officer; Removed a 250kg bomb from the engine-room of SS Tewkesbury (World War II)
- Louis Nouveau - French Resistance member who rescued downed allied airmen (World War II)
- Andrew Clifford Parker - Acted as a human bridge on the Herald of Free Enterprise
- Ernest Lewis Playford - WW2 Civil Defence Leader. Following a bombing raid on the London Docks at the height of the Blitz, he led a rescue party into badly damaged and unsafe building. He acted as human bridge as building collapsed saving other rescuers. He refused to leave a trapped warden and protected him as the building collapsed. The warden was dug out alive, however, Mr Playford was severely injured. He was one of the first recipients of the medal.
- Lisa Potts - Nursery Teacher; protected children in her care from a knife attack (1996)
- David Purley - Racing Driver; Attempted to save the life of his fellow driver Roger Williamson from a burning racing car (1973)
- Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild - Mi5 Officer (World War II)
- Hugh Randall Syme - Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve bomb and mine specialist (World War II)
- Tenzing Norgay - Mountaineer; Climbed to the summit of Mount Everest (1953)
- Nancy Wake - Female Special Operations Executive Agent (World War II)
- William Arthur Waterton - British Squadron Leader test pilot, who landed an experimental aircraft after flutter had destroyed the elevators, thereby saving the prototype (1952)[10]
- Gary O'Donnell - British Army Bomb Disposal Expert killed in Afghanistan in 2008
- Tony Rivers - Nertherton, Dudley, Worcestershire - Saved a woman who was trapped in the lines at Cradley Heath Railway Station
- Robert Campbell- Police officer Dumfies Scotland - Disarmed and arrested Robert Dobie Smith after Smith shot to death fellow police officer William Gibson while the officers were on duty. 1951 Smith was later hanged in Edinburgh.
- ^ Although certain Commonwealth Realms have now instituted their own indigenous honours systems, replacing the GM and other Commonwealth awards so far as their citizens are concerned.
- ^ British Gallantry Medals, p138
- ^ London Gazette, 31 January 1941 - Warrant, Fifth clause
- ^ Warrant of 30 November 1977, published in the London Gazette on 5 December 1977
- ^ Which could not therefore be recognised by a military decoration, given that they typically require gallantry in the face of the enemy.
- ^ London Gazette, 31 January 1941 - Warrant, Second clause
- ^ London Gazette, 31 January 1941 - Warrant, Seventh clause
- ^ London Gazette, 31 January 1941 - Warrant, Ninth clause
- ^ John Edward Dillon G.M.
- ^ George Medal for Bill Waterton
[edit] Bibliography
- Abbott, PE and Tamplin, JMA - British Gallantry Awards, (1981), Nimrod Dix and Co.
- Duckers, P - British Gallantry Awards 1855-2000, (2001), Shire Publications
- Mackay, J and Mussell, J (eds) - Medal Yearbook - 2005, (2004), Token Publishing.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
