Honours System
Recognising exceptional achievement or service
Bravery awards are made in recognition of specific acts by individuals who risk their own lives in order to save, or attempt to save, the life of one of The Queen's subjects. They are also used to recognise similarly selfless brave acts undertaken in the prevention of crime or in the arrest, or attempted arrest, of dangerous criminals.
Anyone may nominate a person for a bravery award, though the majority of cases are made through official channels (police, fire service etc). All cases are assessed on their own merits and against criteria established by precedent. There is no limit on the number of awards. Awards may be made at any time, although they will usually be published in two lists each year.
For civilian awards, the Ceremonial Secretariat coordinates the assessment of nominations. The Prime Minister then submits them to The Sovereign for approval. The Ministry of Defence considers awards recognising acts of bravery in military operations.
Like other honours and medals, gallantry awards have changed and evolved over time. Currently there are a number of bravery awards. They are organised into different levels to recognise the degree of bravery involved. The civil awards are:
This award is granted for acts of bravery of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger. It may be granted posthumously but is restricted to British subjects. Holders may use the post nominal letters 'GC' after their names.
This award is granted for gallantry of an extremely high order. It may be granted posthumously and is not restricted to British subjects. Holders may use the post nominal letters 'GM' after their name.
This award is granted for gallantry of an exceptional order. It may be granted posthumously and is not restricted to British subjects. Holders may use the post nominal letters 'QGM' after their name.
These awards are granted for gallantry, of a high order entailing risk to life and meriting national recognition. Both awards may be granted posthumously and are not restricted to British subjects. These awards do not give rise to post nominal letters.
All the awards above may be awarded more than once if further acts of gallantry are performed and are considered worthy of recognition. For multiple awards, a bar is added to the ribbon of the GC, GM and QGM. Recipients of a Queen’s Commendation may receive further commendations.
Nominations usually originate with one of the emergency services (usually the police), but may also come from members of the public. These nominations are passed to the relevant government department and considered before being submitted to the Ceremonial Secretariat of the Cabinet Office.
The Ceremonial Secretariat will put the cases for awards to the George Cross Committee (GCC) for consideration. If the Committee approves the awards a formal submission is made by the GCC, through the Prime Minister, to The Sovereign for approval.
The Ceremonial Secretariat arranges for publication of the awards in The London Gazette. It is usual for a citation to be published giving broad details of the act of gallantry.