- Military Medal
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This article is about the award named the "Military Medal". For other uses, see military decoration.
Military Medal 
Obverse of medal and ribbonAwarded 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 MedalNext (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.
Contents
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 BarNotable 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
- 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
- Private Leonard Robert McGrath MM VX36229, Australian Army, 2/6 Australian Infantry Battalion.
Joseph Dick. 5th Kings Liverpool regiment. 1st World War for action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Awarded in 1917 in Manchester. John T. McAleese SAS [1]
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
References
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.
United Kingdom Decorations and Medals for Gallantry, Valour, Distinguished Service and Meritorious Service Current awards Level 1Level 2A_
Distinguished Service Order (DSO) • 
Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) • 
Royal Red Cross Class I (RRC)Level 3A_
_ 
Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) • _
Military Cross (MC) • 
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) • 
Air Force Cross (AFC) • Royal Red Cross Class II (ARRC)Level 2BLevel 3B
Constabulary Medal (Ireland) • 
Medal for Saving Life at Sea (SGM) • 
Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM) • 
Royal Victorian Medal (RVM) • 
British Empire Medal (BEM) • 
Queen's Police Medal, for Distinguished Service (QPM) • 
Queen's Fire Service Medal, for Distinguished Service (QFSM) • 
Queen's Volunteer Reserves Medal (QVRM) • 
Queen’s Medal for Chiefs • 
Polar MedalLevel 4Other awardsBadge of Honour
Obsolete awards Levels 1 / 2ALevel 3A
Order of British India (First Class) (OBI) • 
Order of British India (Second Class) (OBI) • 
Kaisar-i-Hind, Gold • Kaisar-i-Hind, Silver • Kaisar-i-Hind, BronzeLevel 2B_
_ _ _ _ 
__ _ _ 
Albert Medal (AM) • __ _ 
Edward Medal (EM) • __ Empire Gallantry Medal (EGM) • _
Union of South Africa Queen's Medal for Bravery (Gold) • 
Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) • 
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM) • 
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (Flying) (CGM)Level 3B_
_ _ _ _ 
Royal West African Frontier Force Distinguished Conduct Medal • __ _ _ King's African Rifles Distinguished Conduct Medal • __ _ 
Indian Distinguished Service Medal (IDSM) • __ Union of South Africa Queen's Medal for Bravery (Silver) • _
Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) • 
Military Medal (MM) • 
Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) • __ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
Air Force Medal (AFM) __ _ _ _ _ _ 
Indian Order of Merit (Third Class) (IOM) • __ _ _ _ _ 
Burma Gallantry Medal (BGM) • __ _ _ _ 
Indian Police Medal, for Gallantry • __ _ _ 
Ceylon Police Medal, for Gallantry • __ _ 
Sierra Leone Police Medal, for Gallantry • __ 
Sierra Leone Fire Brigades Medal, for Gallantry • _
Colonial Police Medal, for Gallantry (CPM) • 
Canada Medal (CM) • 
Indian Police Medal, for Meritorious Service • 
Ceylon Police Medal, for Merit • 
Sierra Leone Police Medal, for Meritorious Service • 
Sierra Leone Fire Brigades Medal, for Meritorious Service • 
Colonial Police Medal, for Meritorious Service (CPM)Level 4Categories:- Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom
- Decorations of the British Army
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