Distinguished Conduct Medal

Distinguished Conduct Medal
Queen Victoria version
Awarded by the Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Country	United Kingdom
Type	Military decoration for bravery
Eligibility	Other Ranks
Awarded for	Gallantry in the field
Status	Discontinued in 1993
Post-nominals	DCM
Statistics
Established	4 Dec 1854
First awarded	1855
Last awarded	1993
Total awarded	29,800
Order of Wear
Next (higher)	Air Force Cross
Equivalent	Distinguished Conduct Medal (Natal)
Next (lower)	Conspicuous Gallantry Medal
Related	Distinguished Service Order
Ribbon bar without and with rosette to indicate award of a Bar

The Distinguished Conduct Medal, post-nominal letters DCM, was established in 1854 by Queen Victoria as a decoration for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, until it was discontinued in 1993. The medal was also awarded to non-commissioned military personnel of other Commonwealth Dominions and Colonies.

The Distinguished Conduct Medal was instituted by Royal Warrant on 4 December 1854, during the Crimean War, as an award to Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and men for "distinguished, gallant and good conduct in the field". For all ranks below commissioned officers, it was the second highest award for gallantry in action after the Victoria Cross, and the other ranks' equivalent of the Distinguished Service Order, which was awarded to commissioned officers for bravery. Prior to the institution of this decoration, there had been no medal awarded by the British government in recognition of individual acts of gallantry in the Army.

One known prior award for acts of gallantry by other ranks was the unofficial Sir Harry Smith's Medal for Gallantry, instituted by Major General Sir Henry George Wakelyn Smith in 1851. Although the British government initially disapproved of Sir Harry's institution of the medal, it subsequently paid for it and thereby gave it recognition, but not official status.

Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal are entitled to the post-nominal letters DCM. A Bar to the medal, introduced in 1881, could be awarded in recognition of each subsequent act of distinguished conduct for which the medal would have been awarded.

During the First World War, the concern arose that the overwhelming number of medals which were being awarded would devalue the prestige of those already awarded. The Military Medal for bravery in battle on land was therefore instituted on 25 March 1916, as an alternative award to the Distinguished Conduct Medal. The lesser Military Medal was usually awarded for bravery from this date and the Distinguished Conduct Medal was reserved for exceptional acts of bravery. Around 25,000 Distinguished Conduct Medals were awarded during the First World War, while approximately 1,900 were awarded during the Second World War.