The King's Commendation for Bravery and the King's Commendation for Bravery in the Air are

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

awards,Military Honours and Awards
Ministry of Defence. open to both military personnel and civilians. They were established in 1994, when the award of the

Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct The Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct, formerly the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct, acknowledged brave acts by both civilians and members of the armed services in both war and peace, for gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. Est ...

and the

Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air The Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, formerly the King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, was a merit award for flying service awarded by the United Kingdom between 1942 and 1994. It was replaced by the Queen’ ...

were discontinued.

Criteria

The two awards are granted for

bravery Courage (also called bravery or valor) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in battle. Physical courage is bravery in the face of physical pain, ...

entailing risk to life and meriting national recognition, but not to the standard required of the

King's Gallantry Medal The King's Gallantry Medal (KGM) is a United Kingdom decoration awarded for exemplary acts of bravery where the services were not so outstanding as to merit the George Medal, but above the level required for the King's Commendation for Bravery ...

. Classed as 'level 4' awards by the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

, they are the lowest level of bravery award, alongside a

mention in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. The awards do not give rise to

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

. The King's Commendation for Bravery is open to both to civilians in peacetime conditions and to all ranks of the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

for actions not in the presence of an enemy. It is denoted by a silver spray of laurel leaves. The King's Commendation for Bravery in the Air is awarded on the same basis, but for acts of bravery in the air. It is denoted by a flying eagle in silver. King’s Commendations can be awarded posthumously, and are not restricted to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

subjects.

Manner of wear

The holder is entitled to wear the appropriate device in a similar manner to a

mention in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. If awarded for bravery in a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

for which a

campaign medal A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a h ...

has been granted, it is worn on the ribbon of the appropriate medal. When awarded in peacetime conditions and when no medal is issued, the emblem is worn on the uniform or coat after any medal ribbons. Recipients with no medals wear the device in the position that a single medal would be worn. From 2003, in addition to British campaign medals, commendation and mention in despatches devices can be worn on United Nations, NATO and EU medals. Originally only one commendation or mention in dispatches emblem of each category could be worn on any one medal ribbon. In a change introduced in 2014, those with multiple awards may wear up to three of each commendation and mention in dispatch devices on a single campaign medal and ribbon bar.

Recipients

King's and Queen's Commendation awards

This table summarises the various King's and Queen's Commendations awarded by the United Kingdom:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen's Commendation For Bravery Civil awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Decorations of the Merchant Navy Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom