Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
| Conspicuous Gallantry Cross | |
|---|---|
 Obverse of the medal. Ribbon: 32mm, white with blue edges and a red central stripe. | |
| Type | Military decoration. |
| 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. |
| Eligibility | British and allied forces. |
| Status | Currently awarded. |
| Established | October 1993 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Victoria Cross |
| Next (lower) | Distinguished Service Cross (Navy), Military Cross (Army), Distinguished Flying Cross (Air Force) |
The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) is a second level military decoration of the United Kingdom armed forces.
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.
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 (July 2007):[2]
| Name | Rank | Unit | Gazetted | Conflict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mills, Wayne | Corporal | Duke of Wellington's Regiment | 9 May 1995 | Former Republic of Yugoslavia |
| Humphreys, Peter | Colour Sergeant | Royal Welch Fusiliers | 9 May 1996 | Former Republic of Yugoslavia |
| Name not published | rank not published | SBS | 6 April 2001 | Sierra Leone (Operation Barras) |
| Name not published | rank not published | SAS | 6 April 2001 | Sierra Leone (Operation Barras) |
| Name not published | rank not published | SBS | 29 Oct 2002 | Afghanistan |
| Name not published | rank not published | SBS | 29 Oct 2002 | Afghanistan |
| Name not published | rank not published | SAS | 29 Oct 2002 | Afghanistan |
| Name not published | rank not published | SAS | 29 Oct 2002 | Afghanistan |
| Thomas, Justin Royston | Marine | Royal Marines | 31 Oct 2003 | Iraq |
| Flynn, Michael John | Lance Corporal of Horse | Blues and Royals | 31 Oct 2003 | Iraq |
| Jardine, Shaun Garry | Corporal | King's Own Scottish Borderers | 23 April 2004 | Iraq |
| Robertson, Gordon | Sergeant | Parachute Regiment | 23 April 2004 | Iraq |
| Broome, Christopher Mark | Sergeant | Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment | 15 Mar 2005 | Iraq |
| Bryan, Terry | Sergeant | Royal Regiment of Artillery | 15 Mar 2005 | Iraq |
| Thomson, Terence Alan | Corporal | Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment | 15 Mar 2005 | Iraq |
| Day, Tony Kenneth | Corporal | Royal Marines | 18 Mar 2005 (To be dated 29 Oct 2002) | Afghanistan |
| Merchant, Jeremy Mark | Captain | Royal Marines | 18 Mar 2005 (To be dated 29 Oct 2002) | Afghanistan |
| Sanders, Edward Lawrence | Private | Parachute Regiment | 18 Mar 2005 (To be dated 29 Oct 2002) | Afghanistan |
| Tomlinson, Matthew Robert | Colour Sergeant | Royal Marines | 24 Mar 2006 | Iraq |
| Radford, Andrew | Lance Corporal of Horse | Household Cavalry Regiment | 14 Dec 2006 | Afghanistan |
| Harkess, James | Sergeant | Worstershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment | 14 Dec 2006 | Iraq |
| Farmer, Hugo | Lieutenant | The Parachute Regiment | 14 Dec 2006 | Afghanistan |
| Illingworth, Timothy | Lieutenant (acting Captain) | The Light Infantry | 14 Dec 2006 | Afghanistan |
| Collective Award[3] | The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment) | Northern Ireland |
.
Notes
- ^ http://www.operations.mod.uk/honours/honours.htm
- ^ 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).
- ^ 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)
Bibliography
- Mackay, J and Mussell, J (eds) - Medal Yearbook - 2007, (2006), Token Publishing, Honiton, Devon