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. Established by King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

in 1939, the award was discontinued in 1994 on the institution of the

Queen's Commendation for Bravery The King's Commendation for Bravery and the King's Commendation for Bravery in the Air are United Kingdom awards,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 ...

. There is no entitlement 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, ...

Institution

The Commendation for Brave Conduct was established in 1939 at the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. No Royal Warrant or other public statement was issued that specified the title, precedence and eligibility of the award, suggesting it was a prompt wartime solution to a gap in the awards available to reward gallantry by non-combatants, particularly those involved in Civil Defence and the Merchant Navy. Awards were published in the

London Gazette London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

,Abbott (1981), p.301-302 with most entries referring to a 'Commendation for brave conduct', or simply 'Commendation'. It was not formally described as the 'King's Commendation for Brave Conduct' until September 1945. Commendations could be made posthumously, enabling official recognition of bravery in all circumstances, since other gallantry awards, except for the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

and the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...

, could not be awarded posthumously. After 1945, the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct continued to be the lowest level of bravery award in the British honours system, alongside 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 ...

, it rewarding bravery by civilians and members of the armed forces in non-frontline circumstances, where the action did not merit the award of another award for gallantry.

Evolution

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

it was recognised that there was no suitable reward for acts of bravery by civilians, such as the seamen of the British Mercantile Marine (later known as the Merchant Navy), which did not merit a specific gallantry medal. That led to the formal introduction of 'Commendations', a system reintroduced in 1939 by

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

, later officially titled the 'King's Commendation for Brave Conduct'. Renamed the 'Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct' in 1952, the award was discontinued in 1994, on the creation of the

Queen's Commendation for Bravery The King's Commendation for Bravery and the King's Commendation for Bravery in the Air are United Kingdom awards,World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

the 'Commendation' was uniquely awarded to the officers and men of the Mercantile Marine, and was the primary reward for gallantry by merchant seamen. While recipients appeared in the ''London Gazette'' and received a certificate, no award accompanied the commendation.Duckers (2001), p.56 *The first list of awards for merchant seamen 'commended for good service' was published in the ''London Gazette'' on 22 December 1916, the recipients having been in action with U-boats or mines. *The first posthumous award appeared in a list of 'Commendations' announced in the London Gazette on 15 May 1917, to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Peter MacLachlan of the steamship "Bellorado" who had been killed in a gun battle with U-boat UC-22 on 27–28 February 1917. *The last Commendation awarded for service in

was announced in the ''London Gazette'' on 10 July 1919 to

Able Seaman An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination o ...

James Anderson of the steamship ''Petunia'' which had been torpedoed and sunk. *Between the two World Wars the practice of awarding 'Commendations' fell into disuse. * With the outbreak of

, a system of commendations was again established. The first awards were announced in the ''London Gazette'' on 15 December 1939, when names of officers and men of the Merchant Navy ships "Mopan", "Lochgoil" and "Goodwood" were published following 'an expression of commendation of their good services' in action with U-boats and mines. *Multiple civilian awards appeared in the ''London Gazette'' on 30 September 1940 alongside awards of the recently instituted

George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in cir ...

, the majority being firefighters. Many more followed in the lists of 'Commendations' on 4 October 1940 where the first awards to female recipients appeared, to Miss Elizabeth Connie Lyle an Air Raid Warden of Newhaven

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and Miss Violet Morgan a Nurse from Weymouth. *The first posthumous awards appeared in the ''London Gazette'' on 8 October 1940, when three British Merchant Navy seamen were killed when the ocean liner ''

Lancastria RMS ''Lancastria'' was a British ocean liner requisitioned by the UK Government during the Second World War. She was sunk on 17 June 1940 during Operation Aerial. Having received an emergency order to evacuate British nationals and troops fr ...

'' was bombed during the

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allies of World War II, Allied soldiers during the World War II, Second World War from the bea ...

operations in June 1940, to Richard Garonwy Roberts, John Hill and James Duncan. *The last awards of King's Commendations for Brave Conduct appeared in the ''London Gazette'' on 12 February 1952, six days after

had died. *The first award of the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct was announced in the ''London Gazette'', on 14 March 1952. * The award was effectively replaced by the

Queen's Commendation for Bravery The King's Commendation for Bravery and the King's Commendation for Bravery in the Air are United Kingdom awards, KCBribbon

* Before 1943 there was no physical award other than a card certificate presented to the recipient.Australia: It's an honour: Imperial Awards
/ref> An example of a

'Commended for Brave Conduct' certificate (left) gives the details of the recipient and the date of the London Gazette announcement. * From 1943 a gold and red coloured plastic pin-backed badge was issued to civilian recipients, bearing the design of an upright sword in a wreath, surmounted by a crown. The badge, intended for everyday wear in civilian dress, was long by wide and was designed by

George Kruger Gray George Edward Kruger Gray (25 December 1880 – 2 May 1943) was an English artist, best remembered for his designs of coinage and stained glass windows. Personal life Kruger was born in 1880 at 126 Kensington Park Road, London, the son of a Jer ...

, CBE. Normally each recipient received two badges in a small red cardboard box. Imperial War Museum – Kings Commendation
/ref> * From 1946 the plastic badge was replaced by a silver metal laurel leaf for civilians,Mussell (2015), p.108 with a bronze oak leaf issued to armed forces personnel (including merchant seamen commended in time of war). The bronze oak leaf insignia was identical to that awarded to signify 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 ...

. The devices were worn on the ribbon of the appropriate campaign medal, usually the Defence Medal for civilians and

War Medal A war medal is a military decoration awarded in time of war, as opposed to a service medal. It may refer to, for example: *War Medal (Norway) *Campaign medal * Global War on Terrorism Service Medal *British War Medal, British Empire medal for servi ...

for servicemen, or directly to tunic or jacket if no medal had been awarded. Devices for commendations for post 1945 campaigns could be worn with the appropriate campaign medal if received.Dorling (1956), p.98

Awards

*In

about 420 'Commendations' were awarded, some posthumously, to men of the British Mercantile Marine.Based on recipients listed in London Gazette *In

approximately 5,000 'Commendations' were made, including 2,568 to men of the British Merchant Navy, and almost 2,000 to civilians, mostly involved in

Civil Defence Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mit ...

, such as policemen and firefighters. Awards were also made to service personnel for brave acts where a mention in despatches would not normally be granted. Many awards were made posthumously. * Some recipients received multiple 'King's Commendations', for example Captain E.G.B. Martin, O.B.E. of the Merchant Navy who received the award three times, on 23 October 1942, 27 August 1943, and finally posthumously on 22 June 1945, in addition to an

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(Officer) Civil Division on 2 June 1944. * The King's Commendation for Brave Conduct and the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct were awarded to 405 Australians. In 1992, Australia ceased recommendations for British awards. In 1975, the Australian Honours System was unilaterally inaugurated and the Australian Bravery Awards were instituted with three medals and a commendation named the

Commendation for Brave Conduct The Commendation for Brave Conduct is a bravery decoration awarded to Australians. It is awarded for an act of bravery that is worthy of recognition. The Commendation for Brave Conduct was created in February 1975. The decorations recognise acts ...

Example awards

Examples of awards were those to: * Engineer Commander Robert John Anderson,

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

, awarded a 'Commendation' for his bravery during the Blitz on

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

in April 1941. * John Jarvis, Deputy Depot Ambulance Officer, ARP Casualty Service, Norfolk, awarded a 'Commendation' in July 1941 for his bravery in rescue operations after an aircraft crashed and caught fire. * Cadet Ernest William Meaby, Air Training Corps, a schoolboy awarded a 'Commendation' in February 1943 for risking his life to rescue the occupants of a crashed aircraft. * John William Fegan, Mining Surveyor, Adowsena Gold Mine, Gold Coast, Africa, awarded a 'Commendation' in March 1943 for his bravery when an accident occurred in the mine. * Warden Edwin Ernest Wing,

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

, received a 'Commendation' in January 1944 for rescuing children from a burning house. * John Morrison Ruthven, Chief Refrigeration Engineer, S.S. "Clan Macarthur", Merchant Navy awarded a 'Commendation' in February 1944 for remaining aboard his sinking ship trying to rescue trapped seamen. * William Henry Shingleton, Leading Compressor Driver,

Dover Harbour Board Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidston ...

, awarded a 'Commendation' in June 1944 for rescuing men who had strayed into a minefield. * Policewoman Mabel Ashley, Borough of Tynemouth Police, was awarded a King's Commendation for Brave Conduct in October 1948 for her services when effecting the arrest of a dangerous criminal. *

Donald Campbell Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

, who broke eight world water and land speed records, was posthumously awarded a Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct on 28 January 1967 'for courage and determination in attacking the world water speed record.'

King's and Queen's Commendations

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

References

UK HonoursAustralian Honours

Bibliography

* * *
Hansard, 6 June 1946. Volume 423.'' Clement Attlee (Prime Minister) announcement on War Decorations (New Medals)''
* * * {{Former Australian Honours Recipients of the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct Civil awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Decorations of the Merchant Navy Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Courage awards