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The Military Medal ( MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award was established in 1916, with retrospective application to 1914, and was awarded to other ranks for "acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire". The award was discontinued in 1993, when it was replaced by the Military Cross, which was extended to all ranks, while other Commonwealth nations instituted their own award systems in the post war period.
When the medal was first introduced, it was unpopular among regular soldiers. MM and DCM recipient Frank Richards wrote that "the Military Medal without a shadow of a doubt had been introduced to save awarding too many DCMs. The old regular soldiers thought very little of the new decoration".Richards, Frank. Old Soldiers Never Die. (Library of Wales) (Kindle Locations 1742-1745). Parthian Books. Kindle Edition. Both the DCM and the MM attracted a gratuity and the decoration allowance of an extra sixpence a day to veterans with a disability pension. However, the allowance was only awarded once even if the recipient was awarded more than one gallantry award. The ratio in the First World War was approximately five MMs awarded for every DCM.Including bars: 25,101 awards of DCM and 121,566 of MM. See pages 82 and 226, British Gallantry Awards, (2nd ed), Abbott & Tamplin.
From September 1916 members of the Royal Naval Division, serving on Western Front alongside the Army, were made eligible for military decorations, including the Military Medal, for the war's duration. It could also be awarded to members of the Royal Air Force for gallant service on the ground.
Eligibility for the MM was extended, by a Royal Warrant dated 21 June 1916, to women whether British subjects or foreign, with the first awards gazetted on 1 September 1916. Although nurses of the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS) and the Territorial Force Nursing Service (TFNS) and other women serving with the British Army often had the social status of officers, they did not hold an officer's commission and were therefore ineligible for the Military Cross, but could be and were awarded the MM.Abbott & Tamplin, British Gallantry Awards, 2nd edition. Page 224, note 4. Louisa Nolan, a civilian during the Easter Rising in Dublin, was awarded the Military Medal for her courage under fire in providing humanitarian aid to the wounded. BBC "The Military Medal for bravery" 23 March 2016
Since 1918 recipients of the Military Medal have been entitled to the post-nominal letters "MM".British Army Order No. 13 of January 1918
Eligibility was extended to soldiers of the Indian Army in 1944.
The Military Medal was discontinued in 1993, as part of the review of the British honours system, which recommended removing distinctions of rank in respect of awards for bravery. Since then the Military Cross, previously only open to Commissioned and Warrant Officers, has been awarded to all ranks. The MM had also been awarded by Commonwealth countries but by the 1990s most, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, were establishing their own honours systems and no longer recommended British honours.
In all, 13,654 Military Medals were awarded to those serving with Canadian forces, including 848 first bars and 38 second bars. Veterans Affairs Canada – Military Medal (MM) (Retrieved 1 November 2018)
Australian Army members received 11,038 and 14 were to awarded Air Force personnel; 478 first bars were awarded, 15 second bars and one third bar.
Over 2,500 were awarded to New Zealanders, the last being for the Vietnam War. New Zealand Defence Force: British Commonwealth Gallantry Awards - The Military Medal (Retrieved 1 November 2018)
The honorary MM awards were made to servicemen and women from eleven allied countries in the First World War, and nine in the Second World War.Abbott, Peter Edward; Tamplin, John Michael Alan (1981). British Gallantry Awards (2nd ed.). London, UK: Nimrod Dix and Co. , Chapter 33, The Military Medal
During the First World War, 127 Military Medals were awarded to women, plus about a dozen honorary awards to foreign women.
There was one instance of a third bar being awarded, to Private Ernest Albert Corey, who served on the Western Front as a stretcher bearer in the 55th Australian Infantry Battalion.
The only recipient to receive two bars during the Second World War was Sergeant Fred Kite, Royal Tank Regiment.See note 34, page 228, British Gallantry Awards, (2nd ed), Abbott & Tamplin.
In the BBC series Peaky Blinders, the principal protagonist/antihero Tommy Shelby is a recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Military Medal for his service in World War I, then post-war he was awarded the OBE by Winston Churchill.
In the Dad's Army episode "Branded", the platoon discover that the character Private Godfrey was a Conscientious Objector. He is then ostracized by the platoon, until they find that he was awarded the Military Medal in the First World War whilst serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps, for rescuing wounded men under enemy fire. The medal itself is central to the storyline in that it is higher than all the medals held by the rest of the platoon and is seen as a mark of true heroism which earns him great respect from them all. BBC website: Dad's Army episodes
In ANZAC Girls episode 6, "Courage", Sister Ross-King and three other nurses are awarded the Military Medal for bravery under fire.
In the video game , the SAS character named Mike "Thatcher" Baker is seen wearing the Military Medal. The reason why it has been awarded to him is not mentioned.
Description
The medal and ribbon had the following features:
Obverse variations
The medal was awarded with one of six obverse designs:
Numbers of awards
Between 1916 and 1993 approximately 138,517 medals and 6,167 bars were awarded. The dates below reflect the relevant London Gazette entries:
Dominions:
Selected recipients of the Military Medal
Nearly 140,000 people have been awarded the Military Medal. Among the more notable recipients are:
World War I
World War II
Post 1945
Popular culture
Jack Ford, a leading character in the BBC TV series When The Boat Comes In, is a World War I recipient of the Military Medal.
See also
External links
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