Whopee! Medals for all!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Wander, very true. I got one of my workers a commendation and was confronted by another spitting feathers. Told her tough titty, grow up.
A little strange if the LS medal is only to be awarded to those still serving in 2014 onwards? Apart from the cost!
I would have thought that, if the LS medal is designed to balance the situation with the LS&GCM, surely it must be available retrospectively, just as other awards that were missed but earned in the past! The argument that "it did not exist at that time so, it could not be earned" is specious as, the award did not exist until now and, therefore, no one should earn it on that basis till 2029!
Idiots.
OAP
I would have thought that, if the LS medal is designed to balance the situation with the LS&GCM, surely it must be available retrospectively, just as other awards that were missed but earned in the past! The argument that "it did not exist at that time so, it could not be earned" is specious as, the award did not exist until now and, therefore, no one should earn it on that basis till 2029! Idiots.OAP
Last edited by Onceapilot; 5th Oct 2016 at 20:25. Reason: speeling
LS/GCM
Then happy non combatant officers can sport a row of three like any police/fire/ambulanceman.
.....and there were those of us who didn't bother. I probably wore mine once or twice......then when a member of public made an assumption I must have done something incredibly brave........I took them straight off because I felt a fraud........never wore them again. I only ever knew one person who was refused his on the grounds that he'd pressed his bare a*se cheeks against a window at a retirement function when the then Divisional Commander took to the stage. There were those who did far worse and got them. Just struck me as slightly pointless.
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A little strange if the LS medal is only to be awarded to those still serving in 2014 onwards? Apart from the cost! I would have thought that, if the LS medal is designed to balance the situation with the LS&GCM, surely it must be available retrosectively, just as other awards that were missed but earned in the past! The argument that "it did not exist at that time so, it could not be earned" is specious as, the award did not exist until now and, therefore, no one should earn it on that basis till 2029!
Idiots.
OAP
I would have thought that, if the LS medal is designed to balance the situation with the LS&GCM, surely it must be available retrosectively, just as other awards that were missed but earned in the past! The argument that "it did not exist at that time so, it could not be earned" is specious as, the award did not exist until now and, therefore, no one should earn it on that basis till 2029! Idiots.OAP
Surely the 2014 is simply a cut off date, so if you were serving in 2014 and had the requisite time in service you would receive it, however if you departed in 2013 you wouldn't.
As mere SLF and grabber of back seats whenever possible, I never ever "got" in 27 years why Ociffers did not qualify and I did ask. Long overdue but the backdate period is way to short and obviously a money saving exercise. To those that qualify welcome to the club.
From Wikipedia, so it must be true:
In March 2015 the intention to introduce a single new long service medal for all three Service Arms was announced by the United Kingdom's Government, to replace the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military), the Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1848) and the Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. The proposed medal will be awarded after fifteen years of service, regardless of rank, and while the good conduct element of the award criteria will remain, it will only apply to the last five years of the fifteen-year aggregate time served requirement. With this medal officers, who have had no medallic recognition for long service unless they were commissioned after serving at least twelve years in the ranks, will also be rewarded for their dedication. Subject to agreement from Her Majesty The Queen, a new medal design will be commissioned and the first presentations should take place in 2016.
BV
In March 2015 the intention to introduce a single new long service medal for all three Service Arms was announced by the United Kingdom's Government, to replace the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military), the Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1848) and the Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. The proposed medal will be awarded after fifteen years of service, regardless of rank, and while the good conduct element of the award criteria will remain, it will only apply to the last five years of the fifteen-year aggregate time served requirement. With this medal officers, who have had no medallic recognition for long service unless they were commissioned after serving at least twelve years in the ranks, will also be rewarded for their dedication. Subject to agreement from Her Majesty The Queen, a new medal design will be commissioned and the first presentations should take place in 2016.
BV
I had a sqn ldr working for me who whinged somewhat that I had got a colleague an MBE, why not him. I told him his time would come - it did- overseas staff college and overseas tour (for second tour in rank), OBE after tour in next rank, tour in Washington, tour in Germany where he spent most of his time in a helicopter, and a defence attaché tour. We still laugh about the original whinge!
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Bugger! I left full time service in 2013 so I do not qualify. I joined the Reserves the day after I left, but due to age constraints, I will not qualify for the Reserves Medal either. Therefore I will have nothing to show for over 42 years in uniform. Shame!
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If BV's Wikipedia report #50 is to be believes and the first presentation will be in 2016 then the year for the start of reckonable service must be 2001, so the qualification pre dates the 2013 exclusion. My FiL received his Canal Zone GSM and his Bomber Command clasp the year before he passed on. He said "Blimey, they cut that a bit fine". It was only 60 years after the event. This LSGC medal has lots of legs yet.
The DIN went live either late yesterday or early today, so yep, now all official.
No new medal just a re-working of the criteria for the original LS&GCs. Backdated to Jun 2014 to tie in with the date of when the Holmes Review was accepted by HMG / MOD.
Interestingly, Reserve service doesn't count towards it at all, so if you left the Regulars with 13 years under your belt, and went straight to the Reserves for 5 years, despite 18 years under the Colours, you wouldn't qualify for the LS&GC but it would go towards whatever the Reserves long service medal is.
No new medal just a re-working of the criteria for the original LS&GCs. Backdated to Jun 2014 to tie in with the date of when the Holmes Review was accepted by HMG / MOD.
Interestingly, Reserve service doesn't count towards it at all, so if you left the Regulars with 13 years under your belt, and went straight to the Reserves for 5 years, despite 18 years under the Colours, you wouldn't qualify for the LS&GC but it would go towards whatever the Reserves long service medal is.
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As mentioned the last time this was discussed, it's possibly a shame that the 'Elder Bretheren' aren't allowed to purchase. But I guess the Admin load would be excessive.
Moaning about missing the qualifying date is a bit like saying "I joined the Army the day after VJ Day and didnt qualify for the WW2 medals". Some you win, some you lose.
The reserves already have a long service medal (VRSM) which can allow some regular service (I believe) to count towards reserve service in some cases.
Ultimately there are bound to be a small number of people who feel they've missed out, but overall its not a bad solution going forward.
The reserves already have a long service medal (VRSM) which can allow some regular service (I believe) to count towards reserve service in some cases.
Ultimately there are bound to be a small number of people who feel they've missed out, but overall its not a bad solution going forward.
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Aye, Jimlad1, its just that some of us are getting a bit short on the 'going forward' stakes 
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Prior to this announcement commissioned service in the UK Regular Forces could already count (in various proportions and with several caveats) towards the VRSM, LS&GCM and various Commonwealth Long Service awards, so the principle of recognising some commissioned service for LS awards was already in place. All this change does is enable all (rather than some) commissioned service to count, with an additional amendment to time served for a clasp (10 years vice 15). Simply evolution.
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Bugger! I left full time service in 2013 so I do not qualify. I joined the Reserves the day after I left, but due to age constraints, I will not qualify for the Reserves Medal either. Therefore I will have nothing to show for over 42 years in uniform. Shame!
Medals to reservists have been mentioned, such as the old Air Efficiency Award and its replacement, the Volunteer Reserves Service Medal, which came in in 1999. There was an anomaly with the old AEA, in that officers who held the medal were entitled to use the post nominal letters AE, whereas non commissioned holders were not. This was probably to be in line with the RN and the army, whose reserve officers had a separate medal to other ranks, and were entitled to post-nominal letters.
From 2015, holders of the VRSM from all three services are now entitled to use the post-nominal letters VR, irrespective of rank. Can't have been well advertised, my neighbour, who is a Lt Cdr, RNR, and has the VRSM was unaware of this, but was totally underwhelmed when I gave him the good news!
Talking of post nominal letters it is a fact that army officers in the Volunteer Force who had the old Volunteer Decoration were entitled to the post nominal letters VD. There must have been some relief when the VD was replaced with the Territorial Decoration (TD) in 1908!
From 2015, holders of the VRSM from all three services are now entitled to use the post-nominal letters VR, irrespective of rank. Can't have been well advertised, my neighbour, who is a Lt Cdr, RNR, and has the VRSM was unaware of this, but was totally underwhelmed when I gave him the good news!
Talking of post nominal letters it is a fact that army officers in the Volunteer Force who had the old Volunteer Decoration were entitled to the post nominal letters VD. There must have been some relief when the VD was replaced with the Territorial Decoration (TD) in 1908!