Although all medals are awarded in recognition of a serviceman's contribution to a military campaign, gallantry medals hold extra prestige. These are only awarded in cases where a member of the Armed Forces has demonstrated acts of extreme bravery in order to save someone’s life during service.

Here are some British gallantry medals in order of significance and how operational and non-operational personnel were recommended to receive the awards.

British Bravery Medals

The Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the most prestigious gallantry medal with operational servicemen showing the ‘most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy’.

The medal was introduced by Queen Victoria in 1856 to reward eligible servicemen during the Crimean War. Since its creation, there has been a total of 1,358 Victoria Cross Medals awarded. The most recent medal was awarded in 2015 to Lance Corporal Joshua Leakey for his gallantry in Afghanistan.

The George Cross

The George Cross carries the same level of honour as The Victoria Cross, but instead recognises acts of bravery not in the presence of an enemy but while still being in great danger. It can also be awarded to civilians as well as military servicemen.

The George Cross was created in 1940 and was named after King George VI. The King also personally designed several elements of the medal. A total of 406 people have received The George Cross to date, with 143 of these honouring civilians.

Distinguished Service Order

This award is given to personnel who showed successful command and leadership during an active operation. One person can also receive this award multiple times if they were to perform another act of gallantry that meets the criteria for a Distinguished Service Order. In this instance, it would be issued on a gold bar.

Conspicuous Gallantry Cross

The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross is another operational gallantry award. As with the Distinguished Service Order, this medal can be awarded to the same person a second time, with the additional medal featuring a silver bar. The award was established in 1993 and all ranks of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army, and Royal Air Force are eligible to receive the award if they meet the criteria.

Distinguished Service Cross

The Distinguished Service Cross is specifically for acts of gallantry against the enemy while at sea, such as the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy. All ranks of service are eligible to receive the award. The award was established by King Edward VII in 1901 and was originally known as the Conspicuous Service Cross, before being renamed to the Distinguished Service Cross in 1914.

George Medal

The George Medal is also awarded for gallantry where great acts of bravery were demonstrated but not at quite as high a level as those being awarded The George Cross. It was also introduced in 1940 and can be awarded to recognise heroic acts performed by military personnel and civilians.

Other Gallantry Medals and Awards

In addition to the above, other gallantry medals have been produced and awarded over time. These include:

On our website, you can find replicas for all of these medals and more within the Gallant & Distinguished medal range. We also offer a variety of medal services including engraving and ribbon replacements, as well as mounting, and storage. If you would like to speak to a member of our knowledgeable team about your requirements, please get in touch at 01952 510053.