This page will allow access to the sundry lists of honours, decorations and medals that I have put together for various projects. Some have appeared as lists in a blog, some in footnotes and others as part of wider projects. Many have been compiled as a free to download pdf. (This page is under construction & in the process some of the pdfs will be updated.)
The Military Medal awarded to Lance Corporal Reginald Plaster, 78th Divisional Signals attached to 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment for his conduct in the Second Battle of Longstop Hill in April 1943 during the Tunisian Campaign. The recommendation was written by the battalion’s commanding officer, who was killed in action on 6 May 1943 minutes after receiving the ribbon of the Distinguished Service Order that he had earned in the battle.
This NCO was operating the W/T set with 1 SURREYS during the Longstop battle. His conduct throughout was exemplary. Firstly, during the advance on 25th April he carried the No. 21 set forward behind my command post under heavy machine-gun fire and subsequently carried it up to my headquarters on the hill still under fire. He there operated the set under more or less continuous shell fire for 36 hours since there was no operator available to relieve him at that time. He was always cheerful and very courageous and stuck to his job in very unpleasant circumstances. He was a very fine example.
Lieutenant Colonel W. B. S. J. A. E. ‘Bill’ Wilberforce DSO, Commanding officer, 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment
RECIPIENTS OF SPECIFIC HONOURS, DECORATIONS OR MEDALS:
The George Cross. Although many such lists are available online, often with supporting material about the acts of gallantry, following the award of the George Cross to Dom Troulan in 2017, I compiled a list of direct recipients of the George Cross and an analysis of the types of event for which it has been awarded.
The Queen’s Gallantry Medal. See my page about For Exemplary Bravery. I had intended to produce a second edition of the book in 2024 but other work has resulted in a delay; a new edition is unlikely to be available before 2027.
The King’s Gallantry Medal. A short description of the King’s Gallantry Medal and a record of its recipients may be found here.
The Burma Gallantry Medal. I have an ongoing research project that (I hope) will result in a book about the medal and its recipients. In the meantime, a list of recipients of the Burma Gallantry Medal may be found here. (To follow in 2025.)
The Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry. Planned as a book about the medal and its recipients, it is unlikely that I will fully pursue this project. I have compiled, therefore, a list of recipients and other information which may be found here. (To follow in 2025.)
‘Class ‘B’ Mentions’—Rewards for Valuable Services during the First World War. During the First World War meritorious service by military personnel and civilians at home could be recognised by a commendation, the equivalent in broad terms of a mention in despatches, for those who were brought to the notice of the Secretary of State for War or Home Secretary. Often referred to as ‘class ‘B’ mentions’, most were for service in the United Kingdom, but some awards were made for service in the Dominions and Colonies. I wrote an article about class ‘B’ mentions, which includes a record of when each list appeared in The Times. (Substantially revised September 2025.)
HONOURS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS AWARDED FOR SPECIFIC EVENTS:
Spin Ghara Victoria Cross, Waziristan, 1920. On 2 January 1920, an attack against 4/39th Garhwal Rifles on a hill top in Waziristan known as Spin Ghara resulted in the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross to Second Lieutenant W. D. Kenny and the death of another British officer, Lieutenant L. M. Parisotti. My account of that action may be found here, and a list of award recipients may be found here. (Revised September 2024.)
Shahur Tangi Ambush, Waziristan, 1937. My account of the ambush at the Shahur Tangi in Waziristan on 9 April 1937 may be found here. A list of the awards made for the action may be found here. (Revised September 2024.)
‘The Second Great Fire of London’—the Blitz, 29 December 1940. On the evening of 29 December 1940, a German bombing raid caused what become known as the ‘Second Great Fire of London’. The courage of those who responded so bravely resulted in 44 gallantry awards—one MBE, eight George Medals, 22 British Empire Medals and 13 Commendations for Brave Conduct—those awards may be seen here.
The East Coast Floods, 1953. On 31 January 1953, an extremely heavy storm coupled with a high spring tide led to a devastating natural disaster in the low-lying areas around the North Sea. There were more British awards made in the aftermath of this disaster than for any other single, non-warlike event in British history; several awards were made to United States Air Force personnel. This article records the recipients of all of those awards and their citations.
MV Herald of Free Enterprise. On 6 March 1987, the MV Herald of Free Enterprise, a roll-on roll-off ferry owned by Townsend Thoresen, capsized in shallow water at Zeebrugge as it left the harbour. In all, 193 passengers and crew perished in the incident. A commemorative article about the tragedy appeared here, in which I included a list of awards to those who acted most bravely to rescue the passengers, and a list of awards for meritorious service, including those to Belgian nationals, made in the aftermath of the disaster.
HONOURS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS AWARDED TO ORGANISATIONS:
Royal Corps of Signals. See my page about Honours, Decorations, and Medals to The Royal Corps of Signals for Gallantry & Distinguished Service 1920-2020. There is a link on that page to a free pdf that records new and corrected information.
Awards to Women’s Services:
Auxiliary Territorial Service. In commemoration of ‘Army Women 100’ I wrote an article about the bravery of women in the Army since the first awards of the Military Medal in the First World War. Included was a list of Second World War awards to the Auxiliary Territorial Service. (Revised September 2025.)
Women’s Territorial Service (East Africa). As part of an article about this little-known organisation (still in preparation) I have compiled a list of Second World War awards to the Women’s Territorial Service (East Africa). (Revised January 2025.)
Women’s Auxiliary Corps (India) and Women’s Auxiliary Service (Burma). Maintaining my interest in awards to the women’s services, I have compiled a list of Second World War awards to the somewhat lesser known Women’s Auxiliary Corps (India) and Women’s Auxiliary Service (Burma); the latter was particularly well regarded and received a disproportionate number of awards for its size. (Revised January 2025.)
The Women’s Legion (First World War) and The Mechanised Transport Corps (Second World War). Born from the Women’s Legion Mechanical Transport Section (awards to the Women’s Legion for service during the First World War may be found here (September 2025)), the M.T.C. provided drivers for a wealth of organisations in the United Kingdom during the Second World War and, notably, provided drivers for various medical units supporting the Free French forces during the Battle of France. Personnel of the Mechanised Transport Corps consequently earned awards from both the United Kingdom and France. A series of my articles about the M.T.C. may be found beginning here. (Revised September 2025.)