Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
Obverse of the medal. Ribbon: 32mm, white with blue edges and a red central stripe.
Awarded by United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Type	Military decoration.
Eligibility	British and allied forces.
Awarded for	... an act or acts of conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy.[1]
Status	Currently awarded.
Description	36mm max width; silver cross patée imposed on a wreath of laurel, with the Royal Crown in a circular panel in the centre. Suspended by a ring from a plain suspension bar.
Statistics
Established	October 1993
Total awarded	23 individuals, 1 collective award.
Precedence
Next highest	Victoria Cross
Next lowest	Distinguished Service Cross, Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross

The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) is a second level military decoration of the United Kingdom armed forces. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (551x956, 194 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Conspicuous Gallantry Cross ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the third level military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) ratings of the Royal Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries. ... The Military Cross (MC) is the third level military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries. ... The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdoms Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy... A military decoration is a decoration given to military personnel or units for heroism in battle or distinguished service. ... The armed forces of the United Kingdom are known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majestys Armed Forces, sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown[2]. Their Commander-in-Chief is the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II and they are managed by the Defence Council of the...

The CGC was instituted in the aftermath of the 1993 review of the honours system. As part of the drive to remove distinctions of rank in awards for bravery, the CGC replaced both the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (Air and Naval) as second level awards to Other Ranks and ratings. The CGC also replaced the Distinguished Service Order, in its role as an award to officers for gallantry (although the DSO was retained as an award for outstanding leadership). The CGC now serves as the second level award for gallantry for all ranks across the whole armed forces. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) was (until 1993) the second level military decoration awarded other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries. ... The Conspicuous Gallantry Medal was (until 1993) a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force (United Kingdom), and formerly also to personnel of the navies and air forces of other Commonwealth countries, below the rank of Warrant Officer, for conspicuous gallantry in... The term rating or rate carries different meanings depending on which navy is being discussed. ... DSO medal The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. ...

The CGC, which may be awarded posthumously, is awarded "in recognition of an act or acts of conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy".

Bars are awarded to the CGC in recognition of the performance of further acts of gallantry meriting the award. Recipients are entitled to the postnominal letters CGC.

Recipients

Since the CGC's introduction in 1993, only twenty-four awards have been made, none posthumously. The following is a list of recipients to date (Dec 2006):^[2]

. Wayne Mills Corporal Wayne Mills of the 1st Battalion The Duke of Wellingtons Regiment became the first recipient of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, second only to the Victoria Cross. ... Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries, police forces or other uniformed organizations around the world. ... Official name The Duke of Wellingtons Regiment (West Riding) Colonel-in-Chief Brigadier His Grace Arthur Valerian Wellesley KG LVO OBE MC BA DL, 8th Duke of Wellington Colonel-of-the-Regiment Major-General Sir Evelyn John Webb-Carter KCB Nicknames The Dukes, The Havercake Lads, The Pattern, The... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in Latin, Југославија in Cyrillic, English: Land of the South Slavs) describes four political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... Colour Sergeant (CSgt or C/Sgt) is an non-commissioned rank in the Royal Marines, ranking above Sergeant and below Warrant Officer Class 2. ... The Royal Welch Fusiliers was a regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales Division. ... The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the British Royal Navys special forces unit. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is the principal special forces organisation of the British Armed Forces. ... Military rank, or, more commonly, simply rank, is a system of grading seniority and command within armed forces or otherwise military-style organizations. ... His/Her Majestys Royal Marines, also known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the Royal Navys Light Infantry, the United Kingdoms amphibious force and specialists in Arctic and Mountain Warfare. ... Lance Corporal of Horse (LCoH) is an appointment unique to the Household Cavalry of the British Army, equivalent to Lance Sergeant in the Foot Guards. ... The Blues and Royals are a British Army armoured regiment and are part of the Household Cavalry. ... Kings Own Scottish Borderers cap badge and tartan The Kings Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. ... Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ... The Parachute Regiments display team, the Red Devils at an American airshow The Parachute Regiment is the main body of elite airborne troops of the British Army. ... The Princess of Waless Royal Regiment (Queens and Royal Hampshires) is the senior English infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queens Division. ... The Royal Regiment of Artillery, generally known as the Royal Artillery (RA), is, despite its name, a corps of the British Army It is made up of a number of regiments. ... This article concerns the rank and title of Captain. ... A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank (equivalent to Nato Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in). ... In the British Army, there have been two regiments titled the Royal Irish Regiment. ... Motto: (Latin for Who would separate us?)[1] Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, NI Sign Language Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony...

Notes

1. ^ http://www.operations.mod.uk/honours/honours.htm
2. ^ Michael O'Brien, Update on Awards of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, Orders and Medals Research Society Journal, Sept 2005 (vol. 44, no. 3), p188 (awards up to March 2005); with additions included from London Gazette (March 2005 to date).
3. ^ It is the first time this medal has been collectively awarded to a military unit, and only the third occasion that such a collective award has been bestowed (the others being the 1942 George Cross to Malta and the 1999 George Cross to the Royal Ulster Constabulary)

The London Gazette , front page from Monday 3 - 10 September 1666, reporting on the Great Fire of London. ... A military unit is an organisation within an armed force. ... The George Cross (GC) is the highest Commonwealth decoration awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry not in the face of the enemy, while the Victoria Cross is awarded for valour in the face of the enemy. ... The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. ...

Bibliography

• Mackay, J and Mussell, J (eds) - Medal Yearbook - 2007, (2006), Token Publishing, Honiton, Devon

See also

• British and Commonwealth orders and decorations