I never could understand how, as a career officer, you could get a medal for merely undertaking that which you had promised to do. Crosses were different!

Anything for other than gallantry is just cigarette card collecting TBH ................

Not true! At least cigarette card collecting exposed one to an element of danger!

Haraka - is that not what politicians and civil servants do

Haraka - is that not what politicians and civil servants do.

Indeed. But wasn't that what was supposed to make us different?

Where did you get that from? you were merely requested to stop pushing the party line, but then again, perhaps you don't have an opinion of your own!

No I am not pushing the party line. I am expressing my view, which I've reached after having done some research, talked to some experts and tried to understand the deeper issues behind why this isn't as clear cut as it seems. I have a firm opinion on this, it just happens to be different from other posters here.

I'm sorry if people can't accept that others here have views which they don't like, or which they think is spreading the party line, and that rather than engage with them, they demand they stop posting their views. I'm quite happy that my views are my own - if you'd rather we turned this into a thread where we all go 'isnt everything rubbish, how dare the RAF/MOD/HMG not do exactly as I want them to do' then thats fine, although I think it would be a fairly dull thread to read.

I wonder how much they cost to mint, after all minting a 50p piece surely has to cost less than the value, same with a 10p coin, though admittedly there is the ribbon etc and the hanger, plus the actual metal content.


..

I was medically discharged from the RAF on 31 May 14, after 35 years and 10 days of service - due to an injury caused by my service! I've emailed Mr Fallon letting him know my thoughts, and asking him for his. I've not received a reply, but, then, he is a busy man.

You haven't included the personalised engraving!

Does boy's service count (?), you appear to hae joined at age 13!

:confused:

As has already been mentioned, the chosen date is that of the Written Statement to Parliament. For those who disagree with the date chosen but agree with the concept, what would you deem a more appropriate start point?


MB

Indeed, M_B ... any other date would be totally arbitrary, despite my preference for the start date being the day I joined!

MB
As a start point of regular volunteer service, I suggest that the qualifying date should coincide with the end of conscription in the U.K. - 31st Dec 1960. The last National Serviceman left the services in May 1963.

Never thought of that, I wonder will that include the rank at the cut off date for those that qualified on that date, their current rank if still serving, rank on leaving if they have left, or simply be bereft of any markings as some other medals are..

Your're a genius Sugarplum

Nut

it will have all of those dates and will be approx. 10 cms across....................

Nutty
If we are staying with officers, they should be able to handle that, as the only change that I know of in the commissioned rank is the cessation of MoRAF.

With the 50 year delay in the awarding of the GSM for Cyprus 1963-64, and the cut off date of less than a week before the demise of technical ranks such as Cpl/Tech and Senior/Tech has proved too difficult for Innsworth to handle correctly.

Taking the last point first, issuing a long service medal unnamed would be a departure from established practice. Long service medals date back to the reign of William IV, and have also been issued named to the recipient. In general terms, long service medals are always named, as well as campaign medals (with a few exceptions, notably those awarded for service in WW2). Coronation and Jubilee Medals are always issued unnamed, with the exception of the 1953 Coronation Medals awarded to members of the successful Everest expedition that year. Other than the Victoria Cross, officers gallantry awards were not named, whereas those issued to other ranks always were. Now that crosses are awarded to all ranks I assume that they are still unnamed, although I am not certain on that point. This all refers to British medals, recipients of UN and NATO medals, etc, will already know that these are not named, as is common with most foreign awards.

Taking Ian's point, medals should show the rank of the recipient at the time of qualification for the award. Innsworth's inability to recognise ranks which were existence at the time he was serving in Cyprus is an error, plain and simple.

One correction, as has already been pointed out, the naming is not "engraved" but impressed, using a machine with a collar which fits around the medal.

There is a chap on flypast thinking of getting a ww2 DFC engraved, I always thought that would detract from its value, I think he is now looking at framing.

NutLoose ... my framed faux LSGC & Bar will, I'm sure, be treasured by my son, with or without engraved lettering. He will probably be more interested in the 6-figure legacy, though!

MB
The eligibility start date is the whole point of contention. I do not see the selection of a date that satisfies a generous spirit towards the award, covering as many as possible rather than the mean spirited few as possible - as has been imposed, to be a difficult task for a suitable study. In fact, I am sure this work will have already been done before the ridiculous penny-pinching cut-off was made!:oh: My own opinion is that the start date should go back as far as possible, within the scope of the other criteria for the award and, without conflicting with other awards or protocols.

OAP

MPN11 - That depends where the decimal point sits ;-)

I'd be more than happy for everyone to get a LSGC medal if I can return to my final salary pension, because why is my service deemed less valuable than those who served before me based on an arbitrary date?

The reality is that regardless of feelings of right or wrong, we do not live in a world of endless means. Although I would love to still be on a final salary pension, it is simply unaffordable now with all you retired folk living to 130.

It would be nice to award the medal to everyone but there is no gain to defence in doing so and therefore is an unnecessary expense. Life isn't always fair.

My service was deemed less valuable that those that served after me.

If you served in the ranks before 1975, you had to do 22 years to get any pension.

My almost 13 years got me a big fat Zero. Those were the rules of the day.

It encourages one to work harder in civvy St.

FY
This LS award is not a substitute for pay or pension.:rolleyes: You say yourself "it would be nice to award the medal to everyone", I presume you mean the "everyone" who does the LS time criteria in the services? Expense, we are just talking qualifying for those retired here, I proposed earlier that retired personel could qualify but be left to purchase the medal, if cost is an insurmountable problem for HMG.;)

OAP

Let's not forget that it's not just "time-served", the conduct ratings throughout the time are of equal, if not more, importance. I know, I had to argue for mine after a Stn Cdr at a new posting considered his rules were more important than the written criteria. I did win but that cost me 18 months which I never got back!

£5 Bounty
 

Back in 1980 when I qualified for the LS & GCM I was awarded a £5 bounty. Is this still being paid out?


Aaron.

Cheers superplum.
I apologise if I was taking the good conduct bit as read.:) Thinking about the status of the commisioned / non-commisioned awards, I guess the LS&GC award was available if claimed after retirement due to admin error? Has that avenue now been closed? Also, as far as equality goes, there is an ongoing situation now, where officers who would have recieved an award if there was parity at the time, are now barred from retrospectively recieving the award. Stupid:rolleyes:

OAP

It would seem that none of us dispute that the requisite time in uniform deserves the medal. The main argument seems to be the cost to finance the medal for all qualifying cases if there were not an arbitrary cut-off date. So, how about anybody who has qualified, regardless of dates, can have and wear the medal. Serving personnel should get the medal free, all others can order and pay for it.

BB

I seriously doubt the budget would stretch to this these days

http://www.clickndial.co.uk/images/B...5v137eaqag49v5

As a matter of interest, how long is one's service record kept after leaving the Service? Any claim would require length of service and conduct to be confirmed.

....my bet is that everyone's service record is kept long enough to see who qualified!

BB

How long is one's service record kept after leaving the Service?
 

Service records for those who left before 1920 have been transferred to the National Archives, and MOD has been in discussion with the National Archives about the transfer of service records for those who served after 1920 - particularly those who served during the Second World War.

I would expect MOD to retain service records for as long as they might reasonably need access (perhaps for 80 years from the date of enlistment) and then transfer the records to TNA.

If you really care about this, then do something about it.

Latest awards list.
RAF - Operational Honours - October 2016Operational Honours - October 2016
mitch.

I was always told "The three most useless things in your Flying Career are:
The runway behind you,
The height above you and
An AOC's Commendation"

Anyone have the full story behind the 2 AFC's?

TOWK
Yes, anyone who is keen to see the LS Medal made official for retired Officers should write to the Defence Sec or, PM etc!:ok: Cheers

OAP

Absolutely, it's not like the PM has anything better to do right now than to deal with a bunch of ROs with a sense of entitlement........!