The King's Gallantry Medal (KGM)[2] is a United Kingdom decoration awarded for exemplary acts of bravery where the services were not so outstanding as to merit the George Medal, but above the level required for the King's Commendation for Bravery.
The Queen's Gallantry Medal was instituted on 20 June 1974[3] to replace the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry and the British Empire Medal for Gallantry, which ended the anomaly where the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry was awarded for lesser acts of bravery than the George Medal but took precedence over it in the Order of Wear.[4] In addition, the QGM replaced the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry (the last award of which was made in November 1974[5]). It de facto replaced awards of the Sea Gallantry Medal, but this has never been formally announced.
The Royal Warrant for the Queen's Gallantry Medal was amended on 30 November 1977 to allow for posthumous awards,[6] as was that for the George Medal.[7]
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, between June 1974 and September 2022, there were 1,094 awards announced in The London Gazette, including 19 second award bars. The armed forces received 542 awards and civilians, including police, 552 including 120 to the Royal Ulster Constabulary, almost twice as many as any other group.[8] Forty-one of the awards were posthumous,[9] and 25 were to women.[10]
In September 2022 the Queen's Gallantry Medal assumed the new name of King's Gallantry Medal following the accession of King Charles III. [11]
Criteria
The medal is awarded for "exemplary acts of bravery" by civilians, and by members of the Armed Forces for "actions for which purely military Honours are not normally granted".[3]
Description
The medal is silver and circular in shape, 36 mm in diameter, with the following design:[12][13]
The obverse of the QGM shows the crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Thomas and is inscribed "ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F.D.".
The reverse of the QGM (designed by Reynolds Stone CBE, RDI) bears the image of a St Edward's Crown above the words 'The Queen's Gallantry Medal' in four lines, flanked by laurel sprigs.
The 32 mm wide ribbon is of "Garter" blue, with a central stripe of pearl grey, within which is a narrow stripe of rose pink; the grey and rose colours represent the Order of the British Empire, which the medal replaced. While awards to women generally have the ribbon fashioned into a bow, female recipients in the armed forces or civilian uniformed services have the medal presented with the ribbon in the same style as for male recipients.
The name of the recipient is impressed on the rim of the medal. When awarded to members of the Armed Forces, service number, rank, and unit are also included.
A further award of the medal is indicated by a silver bar ornamented with laurel leaves worn on the ribbon. When the ribbon alone is worn, a silver rosette denotes award of the bar.
John Leonard Graham GM. Detective Senior Constable, Queensland Police Service. Awarded in 1976 for the rescue of 36 occupants of the Coolangatta Hotel, after an arsonist set the hotel on fire on New Years Day, 1975. Anthony Lacon and Ian Rogers also received the QGM for this rescue. Graham had previously been awarded the George Medal for bravery in 1973, and was subsequently awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct.[16]
Daniel Hellings, a 19-year-old Private from the 2nd Mercian Regiment of the British Army. Awarded in 2010 for uncovering several IED bombs in a combat situation in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. [17]
Chris Jewell and Jason Mallinson, two members of the British teams involved in the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue.[18]
Anthony David Lacon (now Hewett-Lacon), a 23-year-old Queensland Police officer. Awarded in 1976 for multiple rescues from the Coolangatta Hotel fire, when John Graham and Ian Rogers also received the QGM.[16]
Stephen Oake, an anti-terrorism detective who was given the award posthumously after being murdered in Crumpsall, Manchester by Islamic terrorist Kamel Bourgass. Oake had prevented the al-Qaeda member from attacking his colleagues, despite being unarmed himself and having suffered eight serious stab wounds.[19]
Ian Kenneth Rogers, a 21-year-old Queensland Police officer. Awarded in 1976 for multiple rescues from the Coolangatta Hotel fire, when John Graham and Anthony Lacon also received the QGM.[16]
Ranger Cyril J. Smith, 2nd Bn Royal Irish Rangers; killed by a proxy bomb at a border checkpoint at Killeen, County Armagh, Northern Ireland on 24 October 1990. A Catholic man, Patrick Gillespie, who had been a civilian employee of the British Army, was forced to drive where the soldiers would be, or his two sons would be shot. He was to tell the soldiers they had forty minutes to get clear but within seconds of reaching the checkpoint, the bomb exploded. Smith, also a Catholic, died trying to warn colleagues and was awarded the Queens Gallantry Medal posthumously.
Dominic Troulan. Awarded in May 1996 for service in Northern Ireland. After service in the Royal Marines and British Army, in June 2017 he became the first living British civilian to be awarded the George Cross since 1974 and the first holder of both the George Cross and the QGM.[20]
Stanley MacLeod. Diving Superintendent on the Piper Alpha Oil Platform for leading 19 men to safety after the North Sea structure exploded.
David Michael Groves. Royal Navy sailor on HMS Argyll. Awarded on 25 Feb 2020, for the dramatic rescue of 27 mariners from Grande America, which caught fire in rough seas in the Bay of Biscay.
Michael Hooper. Police Sergeant, Leicestershire Police. Awarded in May 2021 for his actions during the helicopter crash outside Leicester City Football club
Stephen Quartermain. Police Constable, Leicestershire Police. Awarded in May 2021 for his actions during the helicopter crash outside Leicester City Football club
^ abcAmong 40 QGMs to Australians, gazetted after the creation of Australian Honours System but before 5 October 1992, when any future awards to Australians are treated by Australia as foreign awards. Accounts of all Australian recipients is included in For Exemplary Bravery: The Queens Gallantry Medal by Nick Metcalfe, see sources below.
^Hellings, Daniel. "Chester soldier's gallantry medal for heroic rescue". The Standard. Natalie Barnett. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
^"Honours for Thai cave rescue divers". BBC News. 28 December 2018.
^Bunyan, Nigel (5 January 2009). "Detective murdered by al-Qaeda terrorist given Queen's Gallantry medal" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
Mussell, John W.; the Editorial Team of Medal News, eds. (2017). The Medal Yearbook 2017. Devon, UK: Token Publishing Ltd. ISBN9781908828316.
Amending Royal Warrants to the George Medal and Queen's Gallantry Medal dated 30 November 1977.
March 05, 2023
king, gallantry, medal, united, kingdom, decoration, awarded, exemplary, acts, bravery, where, services, were, outstanding, merit, george, medal, above, level, required, king, commendation, bravery, reverse, medaltypebravery, decoration, awarded, exemplary, ac. The King s Gallantry Medal KGM 2 is a United Kingdom decoration awarded for exemplary acts of bravery where the services were not so outstanding as to merit the George Medal but above the level required for the King s Commendation for Bravery King s Gallantry MedalReverse of the medalTypeBravery decoration Awarded for exemplary acts of bravery DescriptionSilver disk 36mm diameterPresented byUnited KingdomEligibilityBritish and CommonwealthPost nominalsKGMStatusCurrently awarded Established20 June 1974Total1 094 including 19 bars to end of 2022Total awarded posthumously41Ribbon barSilver rosette signifies a second awardOrder of WearNext higher Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry 1 Next lower Royal Victorian Medal 1 Contents 1 History 2 Criteria 3 Description 4 Notable recipients 5 See also 6 References 7 SourcesHistory EditThe Queen s Gallantry Medal was instituted on 20 June 1974 3 to replace the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry and the British Empire Medal for Gallantry which ended the anomaly where the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry was awarded for lesser acts of bravery than the George Medal but took precedence over it in the Order of Wear 4 In addition the QGM replaced the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry the last award of which was made in November 1974 5 It de facto replaced awards of the Sea Gallantry Medal but this has never been formally announced The Royal Warrant for the Queen s Gallantry Medal was amended on 30 November 1977 to allow for posthumous awards 6 as was that for the George Medal 7 During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II between June 1974 and September 2022 there were 1 094 awards announced in The London Gazette including 19 second award bars The armed forces received 542 awards and civilians including police 552 including 120 to the Royal Ulster Constabulary almost twice as many as any other group 8 Forty one of the awards were posthumous 9 and 25 were to women 10 In September 2022 the Queen s Gallantry Medal assumed the new name of King s Gallantry Medal following the accession of King Charles III 11 Criteria EditThe medal is awarded for exemplary acts of bravery by civilians and by members of the Armed Forces for actions for which purely military Honours are not normally granted 3 Description EditThe medal is silver and circular in shape 36 mm in diameter with the following design 12 13 The obverse of the QGM shows the crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Thomas and is inscribed ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D The reverse of the QGM designed by Reynolds Stone CBE RDI bears the image of a St Edward s Crown above the words The Queen s Gallantry Medal in four lines flanked by laurel sprigs The 32 mm wide ribbon is of Garter blue with a central stripe of pearl grey within which is a narrow stripe of rose pink the grey and rose colours represent the Order of the British Empire which the medal replaced While awards to women generally have the ribbon fashioned into a bow female recipients in the armed forces or civilian uniformed services have the medal presented with the ribbon in the same style as for male recipients The name of the recipient is impressed on the rim of the medal When awarded to members of the Armed Forces service number rank and unit are also included A further award of the medal is indicated by a silver bar ornamented with laurel leaves worn on the ribbon When the ribbon alone is worn a silver rosette denotes award of the bar Recipients are entitled to the post nominal letters K G M Notable recipients EditAmong the more notable recipients are Charles Bruce former 22 Special Air Service Soldier Awarded in November 1986 for his conduct in Operation Banner Northern Ireland in December 1984 14 15 Peter Edmonds Metropolitan Police Officer Awarded in March 1974 for his actions during the kidnap attempt of Anne Princess Royal Guy Edwards former Formula 1 driver Awarded for assisting in the rescue of Niki Lauda from his blazing Ferrari 312T at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring John Leonard Graham GM Detective Senior Constable Queensland Police Service Awarded in 1976 for the rescue of 36 occupants of the Coolangatta Hotel after an arsonist set the hotel on fire on New Years Day 1975 Anthony Lacon and Ian Rogers also received the QGM for this rescue Graham had previously been awarded the George Medal for bravery in 1973 and was subsequently awarded the Queen s Commendation for Brave Conduct 16 Daniel Hellings a 19 year old Private from the 2nd Mercian Regiment of the British Army Awarded in 2010 for uncovering several IED bombs in a combat situation in Helmand Province Afghanistan 17 Chris Jewell and Jason Mallinson two members of the British teams involved in the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue 18 Anthony David Lacon now Hewett Lacon a 23 year old Queensland Police officer Awarded in 1976 for multiple rescues from the Coolangatta Hotel fire when John Graham and Ian Rogers also received the QGM 16 Stephen Oake an anti terrorism detective who was given the award posthumously after being murdered in Crumpsall Manchester by Islamic terrorist Kamel Bourgass Oake had prevented the al Qaeda member from attacking his colleagues despite being unarmed himself and having suffered eight serious stab wounds 19 Ian Kenneth Rogers a 21 year old Queensland Police officer Awarded in 1976 for multiple rescues from the Coolangatta Hotel fire when John Graham and Anthony Lacon also received the QGM 16 John Smeaton former Baggage Handler Awarded in December 2007 for his actions in the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack Ranger Cyril J Smith 2nd Bn Royal Irish Rangers killed by a proxy bomb at a border checkpoint at Killeen County Armagh Northern Ireland on 24 October 1990 A Catholic man Patrick Gillespie who had been a civilian employee of the British Army was forced to drive where the soldiers would be or his two sons would be shot He was to tell the soldiers they had forty minutes to get clear but within seconds of reaching the checkpoint the bomb exploded Smith also a Catholic died trying to warn colleagues and was awarded the Queens Gallantry Medal posthumously Dominic Troulan Awarded in May 1996 for service in Northern Ireland After service in the Royal Marines and British Army in June 2017 he became the first living British civilian to be awarded the George Cross since 1974 and the first holder of both the George Cross and the QGM 20 Stanley MacLeod Diving Superintendent on the Piper Alpha Oil Platform for leading 19 men to safety after the North Sea structure exploded David Michael Groves Royal Navy sailor on HMS Argyll Awarded on 25 Feb 2020 for the dramatic rescue of 27 mariners from Grande America which caught fire in rough seas in the Bay of Biscay Leon McLeod Police Constable British Transport Police Awarded in October 2018 for his actions during the 2017 London Bridge attack 21 Michael Hooper Police Sergeant Leicestershire Police Awarded in May 2021 for his actions during the helicopter crash outside Leicester City Football club Stephen Quartermain Police Constable Leicestershire Police Awarded in May 2021 for his actions during the helicopter crash outside Leicester City Football clubSee also EditBritish and Commonwealth orders and decorations Royal Logistic Corps Operational HonoursReferences Edit a b No 62529 The London Gazette Supplement 11 January 2019 p 327 THE HONOURS SYSTEM of THE UNITED KINGDOM 11 January 2023 Cabinetoffice gov uk a b Royal Warrant The Queen s Gallantry Medal Command Paper 5653 20 June 1974 No 43474 The London Gazette Supplement 23 October 1964 p 9122 No 46407 The London Gazette Supplement 19 November 1974 p 11405 No 47398 The London Gazette Supplement 5 December 1977 p 15237 No 47397 The London Gazette Supplement 5 December 1977 p 15235 Metcalfe For Exemplary Bravery the Queen s Gallantry Medal Table 3 pp 102 103 Updated in online Addendum p 8 Metcalfe For Exemplary Bravery the Queen s Gallantry Medal chapter 7 Updated in online Addendum p 7 Metcalfe For Exemplary Bravery the Queen s Gallantry Medal p 114 Updated in online Addendum p 3 THE HONOURS SYSTEM of THE UNITED KINGDOM 11 January 2023 Cabinetoffice gov uk Abbott and Tamplin British Gallantry Awards page 257 Metcalfe For Exemplary Bravery the Queen s Gallantry Medal pp 26 35 McNab Andy 2008 Seven Troop pp 184 187 ISBN 9780552158664 No 50711 The London Gazette Supplement 10 November 1986 p 14519 a b c Among 40 QGMs to Australians gazetted after the creation of Australian Honours System but before 5 October 1992 when any future awards to Australians are treated by Australia as foreign awards Accounts of all Australian recipients is included in For Exemplary Bravery The Queens Gallantry Medal by Nick Metcalfe see sources below Hellings Daniel Chester soldier s gallantry medal for heroic rescue The Standard Natalie Barnett Retrieved 4 December 2018 Honours for Thai cave rescue divers BBC News 28 December 2018 Bunyan Nigel 5 January 2009 Detective murdered by al Qaeda terrorist given Queen s Gallantry medal via www telegraph co uk No 54393 The London Gazette 9 May 1996 p 6548 Civilian Gallantry List 2018 Her Majesty s Government Cabinet Office 19 July 2018 Retrieved 20 May 2019 Sources EditAbbott Peter Edward Tamplin John Michael Alan 1981 British Gallantry Awards 2nd ed London UK Nimrod Dix and Co ISBN 9780902633742 Duckers Peter 2001 British Gallantry Awards 1855 2000 Princes Risborough Buckinghamshire UK Shire Publications ISBN 9780747805168 Metcalfe Nick 2014 For Exemplary Bravery The Queen s Gallantry Medal Woodstock Oxfordshire UK Writersworld ISBN 978 0 9572695 1 4 Mussell John W the Editorial Team of Medal News eds 2017 The Medal Yearbook 2017 Devon UK Token Publishing Ltd ISBN 9781908828316 Amending Royal Warrants to the George Medal and Queen s Gallantry Medal dated 30 November 1977 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title King 27s Gallantry Medal amp oldid 1137853883, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
