Military Medal

This article is about the award named the "Military Medal". For other uses, see military decoration.

Military Medal
Obverse of medal and ribbon
Awarded by UK and Commonwealth
Type	Military decoration.
Eligibility	British and (formerly) Commonwealth forces
Awarded for	acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire
Status	Discontinued in 1993
Statistics
Established	25 March 1916 (back dated to 1914)
First awarded	1914
Precedence
Next (higher)	Distinguished Conduct Medal
Equivalent	Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Flying Medal Air Force Medal
Next (lower)	Mention in Despatches

The Military Medal (MM) was (until 1993) a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land.

The medal was established on 25 March 1916. It was the other ranks' equivalent to the Military Cross (MC), which was awarded to commissioned officers and rarely to Warrant Officers, although WOs could also be awarded the MM. The MM ranked below the MC and the Distinguished Conduct Medal, which was also awarded to non-commissioned members of the Army, in order of precedence. Recipients of the Military Medal are entitled to use the post-nominal letters "MM". In 1993, the Military Medal was discontinued, and since then the Military Cross has been awarded to personnel of all ranks.

Description

• A circular silver medal of 36 mm diameter. The obverse bears the effigy of the reigning monarch.
• The reverse has the inscription "FOR BRAVERY IN THE FIELD" in four lines, surrounded by a laurel wreath, surmounted by the Royal Cypher and Imperial Crown
• The suspender is of an ornate scroll type.
• The ribbon is dark blue, 1.25 inches wide, with five equal centre stripes of white, red, white, red, and white (0.125 inches each).
• Silver, laurelled bars are authorised for subsequent awards.

Ribbon bars of the Military Medal
MM	MM and Bar

Notable recipients of the Military Medal

• Category:Recipients of the Military Medal

There have been over 135,000 people awarded the Military Medal. Among the notable recipients are:

• Major-General F. F. Worthington was awarded the Military Medal for actions near Vimy Ridge.
• Ian Bailey, who won the medal as a Corporal in The Parachute Regiment during the Falklands War and went on to become a Captain.
• Billy Bennett, British comedian
• Geoffrey Bingham, Australian theologian and author
• Joe Cassidy, Scottish footballer
• Mairi Chisholm, British volunteer ambulance driver
• Douglas Clark, British rugby league footballer and wrestler
• Jack Cock, British footballer
• William Coltman, who also received the Victoria Cross and was the most highly decorated NCO of the First World War
• Ernest Albert Corey, the only person to be awarded the MM four times
• Dorothie Feilding, first woman to win the MM
• Billy Hanna, Northern Irish loyalist and commander of the Ulster Volunteer Force's Mid-Ulster Brigade. For gallantry in the Korean War
• William Hutt, Canadian actor
• Barney F. Hajiro, Japanese American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient, awarded for his actions in the Second World War
• Fred 'Buck' Kite, the only British soldier to be awarded the MM and two Bars in the Second World War
• Elsie Knocker, British volunteer nurse and ambulance driver
• Norman Washington Manley, former First Minister of Jamaica, Sergeant in British Army First World War
• John McCallum (Scottish war veteran), organiser of a successful escape from prisoner of war camp in the Second World War
• James McCudden, the most highly decorated British pilot of the First World War
• Andy McNab (pseudonym), Special Air Service and author.
• Tommy Prince, Devil's Brigade, Canadian Aboriginal Veteran, Canada's most decorated aboriginal soldier of the Second World War, also received the American Silver Star
• Bob Quinn, leading Australian rules footballer
• Charles Rutherford, Awarded the Military Cross, Military Medal and Victoria Cross.
• Chris Ryan (pseudonym), SAS Sergeant and author.
• Wilfred Sénéchal, New Brunswick, Canada lawyer, politician
• Randall Swingler, British poet
• Willie Thornton, Rangers and Scotland footballer.
• Karl Vernon, Olympic medallist oarsman and coach.
• Arthur Wesley Wheen, translator of All Quiet on the Western Front (MM and two Bars)
• Al Slater Appeared on British Documentary The Paras

Popular culture

In the BBC sitcom Dad's Army, Private Godfrey is revealed to have been awarded the Military Medal whilst serving as a medical orderly during the First World War.

In the Central Television production Soldier Soldier broadcast on ITV, at the 50th D Day Anniversary, Robson Green's character, Fusilier Dave Tucker, gets a veteran called Jack Knight talking, who subsequently turns out to be a recipient of the Military Medal.

See also

• British and Commonwealth orders and decorations

External links

• "The King's Own Royal Regiment Museum, (Lancaster), Military Medal". www.kingsownmuseum.plus.com. http://www.kingsownmuseum.plus.com/medalsv.htm. 
• "Further information and tools to identify British medals". www.military-medal.co.uk. http://www.military-medal.co.uk. 
• "International Medallists to the Royal British Legion". www.awardmedals.com. http://www.awardmedals.com. 
• Search over 5 million campaign medal cards on The UK National Archives' website.