CHAPTER IX

MILITARY DECORATIONS AWARDED FOR SPECIAL SERVICES

The necessity for special awards--The Victoria Cross--The Order of Merit--The "Distinguished Conduct in the Field" award--The Distinguished Service Order--The Meritorious Service award--The Long Service and Good Conduct award--The "Best Shot" medal--Volunteer decorations--Other decorations

The reader who has noted the facts set out in the two previous chapters will remember how, in the earliest days of medal awarding, the general plan was to decorate none but the soldiers who had performed exceptional service, and that, as time wore on, the idea developed into granting medals to all who took part in warfare, irrespective of the merits of each individual. The latter plan must certainly be considered the more satisfactory, for personal bravery is so frequent a quality displayed on the battlefield that all who take part in these life-and-death struggles should, of necessity, receive a token of the King's recognition.

But though the granting of campaign medals was a step in the right direction, it tended to level up the ordinary brave soldier and the soldier possessing exceptional merit, and this, of course, was a principle unsympathetic to English feeling. Accordingly, we find that running side by side with the campaign medals are decorations for special merit. Undoubtedly the most popular and the most coveted of all such awards is the V.C.

The Victoria Cross was instituted by a Royal Warrant of January 29, 1856--during the Crimean War, in fact--and its inception was largely due to the thoughtfulness of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort. The cross itself is severe and plain in design, but loses nothing on this account; it was formerly struck from the metal of old cannon taken in the campaign against the Russians, but to-day we can only claim that its metal composition once formed part of artillery pieces of some kind or other. The pattern is too well known to need description, but it may be added that the shape and design were modelled on the Peninsular gold cross. The ribbon is crimson for the Army and blue for the Navy.

The Victoria Cross may be won by soldiers of all ranks; when awarded to non-commissioned officers and privates it carries with it an annuity of £10, though this sum may be increased in special cases. If the medal be sold during the life-time of the recipient the pension can be withdrawn, and if the possessor be convicted in the civil or military courts for any but trivial offences, the same punishment may be enforced.

There are many rules regulating the granting of this coveted award; the following are perhaps the most interesting:--

"It is ordained that the cross shall only be awarded to those officers or men who have served Us in the presence of the enemy, and shall then have performed some signal act of valour or devotion to their country.

"It is ordained with a view to place all persons on a perfectly equal footing in relation to eligibility for the decoration, that neither rank, nor long service, nor wounds, nor any other circumstance or condition whatsoever, save the merit of conspicuous bravery, shall be held to establish a sufficient claim to the honour.

"It is ordained that in the event of a gallant and daring act having been performed by a squadron not under 50 in number, or by a brigade, regiment, troop, or company in which the admiral, general, or other officer commanding such force may deem that all are equally brave and distinguished, and that no special selection can be made by them; then in such case, the admiral, general, or other officer commanding, may direct, that for any such body of sailors or soldiers, one officer shall be selected by the officers engaged for the decoration; and in like manner one petty officer or non-commissioned officer shall be selected by the petty officers and non-commissioned officers engaged; and two seamen or private soldiers or marines shall be selected by the seamen or private soldiers or marines engaged respectively for the decoration, and the names of those selected shall be transmitted ... to the admiral or general officer commanding, who shall in due manner confer the decoration as if the acts were done under his own eye."

There has been much discussion of late as to whether bars are ever awarded with the Victoria Cross. Undoubtedly, these additional marks of valour are at times given, but instances where they have been received are rare. It should perhaps be stated definitely, that where a second act of sufficient bravery is performed before the cross is conferred, details of the second act are engraved with details of the first upon the rear of the medal, but where the second act is carried out after the medal has been conferred, a bar is awarded and the £10 grant increased to £15. The fourth clause of the Royal Warrant of January 29, 1856, makes this point quite clear:--

"It is ordained that any one who after having received the cross shall again perform an act of bravery which, if he had not received such cross, would have entitled him to it, such further act shall be recorded by a bar attached to the ribbon by which the cross is suspended, and for every additional act of bravery an additional bar may be added."

The brave deeds which have been rewarded by grants of the Victoria Cross make thrilling reading, but space cannot be spared here for recounting the most stirring of them. A brief description of each award is given in Mr. D. Hastings Irwin's book "War Medals and Decorations," whilst Mr. Philip A. Wilkin's "History of the Victoria Cross" also contains much valuable information. Before turning to the next medal, it may be interesting to add that crosses are often granted after death; a case in point was that of Lord Roberts's son who fell at Colenso in 1899.

Another decoration awarded for bravery is the Order of Merit, which was instituted in 1837. Unlike other awards, it was divided into three classes; the third class being granted for the first conspicuous act of gallantry, the second class for a repetition of such act, and the first class for a third instance.

The decoration was made in three patterns, each of which was one and a half inches in diameter. The shape was an eight-rayed star. The centre of the award consisted of two crossed swords, around which was written "Reward for Valour," on a background of blue enamel.

The first-class decoration was made in gold and bore a gold wreath; the second-class was silver with a gold wreath; and the third-class, silver with a silver wreath. All were to be worn on the left breast. A money grant formed part of the award, and it is worth noting that the widow of a recipient drew the annuity for three years after her husband's death.

A third decoration for bravery is the "Distinguished Conduct in the Field" award. This was instituted by Royal Warrant on June 4, 1853, for sergeants, and by a later warrant (December 4, 1854) for all non-commissioned officers and privates. The decoration was given to mark "the Sovereign's sense of the distinguished service and gallant conduct in the field of the army then serving in the Crimea" and since. By an amending warrant of February 7, 1881, a bar could be earned by performing a subsequent act of gallantry. The methods of selecting recipients was as follows:--

The commanding officer of each cavalry regiment could, if he thought fit, select one sergeant, two corporals, and four privates for decoration, whilst an officer of an infantry regiment could select one sergeant, four corporals, and ten privates. The award originally carried with it a grant of £15 in the case of sergeants, £10 in the case of corporals, and £5 in the case of privates--sums which were banked until the time when the soldiers took their discharge.

The medal was fashioned in silver; the obverse bore a military trophy of arms in the centre of which was the shield of the reigning sovereign, whilst the reverse was lettered "For Distinguished Conduct in the Field." The ribbon was red, blue, and red in equal strips. It was worn on the left breast.

The medal, as now awarded, bears a profile of the reigning monarch instead of the trophy of arms, and recipients are offered either a gratuity of £20 on discharge, or an increase of sixpence per day on their pension allowance.

In 1886, the "Distinguished Service Order" was instituted. The initial Royal Warrant affecting this order, under date of September 6, 1886, said: "Whereas we have taken into our royal consideration that the means of adequately rewarding the distinguished service of officers in our naval and military services who have been honourably mentioned in dispatches are limited. Now, for the purpose of attaining an end so desirable as that of rewarding individual instances of meritorious or distinguished service in war, we have instituted a new naval and military order of distinction which we are desirous should be highly prized by the officers of our naval and military services."

The order consists of a gold cross shaped out of a circle of conspicuous and pleasing design. The metal is gold, but the surface is enamel-coated. The predominant colouring is white, but a gold edging, a green wreath, and a red centre lend effectiveness to the design. Both faces are decorated, the obverse with a crown, and the reverse with the royal cypher. The ribbon, which is crimson edged with blue, is bounded both top and bottom by a gold bar.

The last award to be mentioned here for brave conduct is the Meritorious Service medal, which is now superseded by the "Distinguished Conduct in the Field" medal. This award received royal sanction in 1845 for the Army, and in 1849 for the Marines. The warrant said:--

"We deem it expedient to afford a greater encouragement to the Non-commissioned Officers and Soldiers of Our Army who may have distinguished themselves, or who may have given good, faithful, and efficient service.

"It is our further will and pleasure that a sum not exceeding £2,000 a year be distributed for the purpose of granting annuities as rewards for distinguished or meritorious service to Sergeants who are now, or who may be hereafter in the Service, either while serving or after discharge with or without pension, in sums not exceeding £20: which may be held during service, and together with pension."

The medal earned but little popularity as it was awarded, not only for bravery, but for exemplary conduct in peace times. Now the "Distinguished Conduct in the Field" medal was preferred in cases of bravery, and the "Long Service and Good Conduct" medal was preferred in cases of exemplary conduct: thus its use was limited, and the authorities withdrew it a few years after the first issue.

The Long Service and Good Conduct medal was the earliest award which could be earned in times of peace. It was first issued on July 30, 1830, by William IV. The obverse bore a military trophy of arms and the King's escutcheon, whilst the reverse was inscribed "For Long Service and Good Conduct." The most recent copies bear a profile of the royal sovereign on the obverse. The ribbon is crimson.

The medal was intended for non-commissioned officers and men who had been discharged in receipt of gratuities after serving twenty-one years in the infantry or twenty-four in the cavalry. To-day, eighteen years' exemplary service only is required, and there is a gratuity of £5 on discharge.

Special regulations at the outset affected the granting of the "Long Service" medal to the Marines. The Commandant of the Division of Royal Marines, the warrant ran, may annually recommend a certain number of men of meritorious conduct for the "Good Conduct and Long Service" medal with a gratuity as follows:--

Sergeant who shall have served ten years as such £15.

Corporal who shall have served seven years as such, £7.

Private, £5.

The men to be recommended must have completed twenty-one years of actual service, have borne an irreproachable character, and have never been convicted by a court-martial.

In 1867 a decoration was instituted for the "Best Shot" in the Infantry Regiments. It was awarded annually by competition, and carried with it a money grant of £20. As the award was discontinued in 1883, specimens are rare, and seldom available for purchase.

The obverse of the medal bore Poynter's draped profile of Victoria, whilst the reverse showed Fame placing a wreath on the head of a warrior. The earlier copies are found in bronze, the later ones in silver. The ribbon was somewhat gaudy, consisting of seven strips, three narrow ones of black, white, and black, then a wide one of red, and finally three more narrow ones of black, white, and black.

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Volunteer decorations are numerous and one or two collectors of our acquaintance have specialized in them and gathered together series of much value and interest.

The earliest Volunteer specimens which we have seen are those which came from corps raised during the Napoleonic times of trouble, especially those which dated from the period when an invasion of England was feared.

At this time there were some hundreds of volunteer corps throughout the land, many of them were only small organizations, it is true, but the old lists tell us that the volunteers aggregated some 500,000 men in all. The force as a whole was well organized and well equipped, and proficiency was encouraged by the granting of medals and decorations. These awards were not granted by Royal Warrant but by the patrons of each corps, though official sanction was always obtained previously. On this account we may look upon the medals as properly authenticated specimens well worth collecting.

Most of the volunteer medals which we have seen of this period bear dates between 1776 and 1816, whilst many of them are highly artistic and ornamental. We have seen specimens given by the following corps--the names are worth mentioning if only to show the quarters in which the bodies were raised:--

The Bank of England Volunteers. The Bermondsey Volunteers. The Broad Street Ward Volunteers. The Essex Volunteer Cavalry. Hans Town Association Volunteers. Loyal Cork Volunteers. Sadler's Sharpshooters. Walthamstow Volunteers.

Of recent Volunteer awards the Volunteer Officers' Decoration is probably the best known. The Royal Warrant which proclaimed its issue, under date of July 25, 1892, said:--

"Whereas it is Our Royal desire to reward for long and meritorious service of Officers of proved capacity in Our Volunteer Force: Now for the purpose of attaining this end, We have instituted, constituted, and created, and by these presents to Us, Our Heirs and Successors, constitute and create a new decoration which we are desirous should be highly prized by Officers of Our Volunteer Force: and We are graciously pleased to make, ordain and establish the following rules and ordinances for the Government of the same which shall from henceforth be observed and kept."

Then followed eight clauses, of which the following is the chief:--

"It is ordained that no person shall be eligible for this Decoration nor be nominated thereto unless he is or was a Commissioned Officer and has served twenty years in Our Volunteer Force, is recommended by the Commanding Officer of the Corps in which he has served, and is duly certified by the District Military Authorities in which the Corps is located as having been an efficient and thoroughly capable Officer, in every way deserving of such decoration: Provided nevertheless and We do hereby declare that half of any time during which an Officer of Our Volunteer Force may have served in the ranks of Our said Force shall reckon as qualifying service towards the twenty years required as aforesaid."

The decoration consisted of a striking oval badge: the edge was a silver oak wreath, whilst the royal cypher and crown, in outline, filled the centre. A green ribbon was provided with a silver bar flanking its topmost edge.

Two years after the officers' decoration received sanction a similar award, known as the "Volunteer Long Service Medal," was provided primarily for the men. The medal was granted to all Volunteers--including officers who had served in the ranks, but who had not qualified for the previous medal--on completion of twenty years' service in the Volunteer Force, provided that they were actually serving on January 1, 1893, and that the commanding officer recommended such award. Service in the Militia or Imperial Yeomanry could be reckoned towards the required period of years.

The obverse of the medal bore a profile of the reigning sovereign (in the case of Queen Victoria, the bust was designed much after the style of that chosen for the Jubilee silver coinage); the reverse consisted of a scroll, with the words "For Long Service in the Volunteer Force" arranged among palm and laurel sprays. The medal was silver, and the ribbon green.

The last decoration with which we shall deal at length is the National Rifle Association's medal, which was awarded to the best shot in the Volunteer Force. There were three pieces, one each of gold, silver, and bronze, which could be competed for annually. The awards were instituted in the year 1860.

The medal was of very fine design. The obverse revealed a bygone English soldier in possession of a bow, and a volunteer holding a rifle; both figures were standing. The reverse bore a circular wreath, within which the words "The National Rifle Association" and the date were inscribed.

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There are other decorations which it is well to mention by name. They are:--

1. The Imperial Yeomanry Long Service Medal, which demands ten years' service and ten trainings.

2. The Militia Long Service Medal, which is granted to non-commissioned officers and men who have served eighteen years and completed fifteen trainings.

3. The Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, which has taken the place of one of the Volunteer medals mentioned above.

4. The Jubilee Medal.

5. The Coronation Medal.

6. The Military Cross, awarded for Distinguished and Meritorious Service.