King's Commendation for Brave Conduct (1916-1952)
| King's Commendation for Brave Conduct (1916–1952) | |
|---|---|
KCB badge
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| Awarded by United Kingdom and Commonwealth | |
| Type | Medal |
| Eligibility | All |
| Awarded for | Gallantry entailing risk to life and meriting national recognition |
| Status | Superseded in February 1952. |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1916 |
| First awarded | 15 December 1916 |
| Last awarded | 12 February 1952 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | British Empire Medal |
| Equivalent | Mention in Despatches |
During World War I it was recognised that there was no suitable award to recognise acts of bravery by civilians such as the seamen of the British Merchant Navy that did not merit a specific gallantry medal. The formal introduction of "Commendations" was the solution approved by King George V and was a system re-introduced in 1939 by King George VI when it was referred to as the "King's Commendation" for brave conduct before being officially titled the "King's Commendation for Brave Conduct". In 1952 the honour was renamed the "Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct" which was itself replaced in 1994 by the Queen's Commendation for Bravery. Unlike many awards for bravery, there is no entitlement to append post-nominal letters after a recipient's name.
British awards are normally instituted by Royal Warrant published in the London Gazette within which are specified the description of the award, persons eligible to receive it, circumstances in which it is to be awarded, and all associated conditions. There are apparently no such terms of reference for the "Kings Commendation", it was a prompt wartime solution to a problem encountered during World War I. The Commendation (later known as the "King's [or Queen's] Commendation for Brave Conduct") exists to officially acknowledge worthy acts by civilians and members of the military in non-warlike circumstances during a time of war, or in peacetime where the action could not otherwise be recognised by an existing award. As a Commendation could be made posthumously it was a versatile solution to enable official recognition of bravery in all circumstances. Awards were formally published in the London Gazette and a personal certificate presented.
Civil Insignia (left) and Military (right) the leaves being attached to the ribbon of the Defence Medal or War Medal if held by the recipient or directly to tunic or jacket if no medals had been awarded.
During World War II the scope of the "Commendation" system was stretched far beyond the original concept as it became a reward for gallantry both in the face of the enemy, away from the front and in non-warlike circumstances. In many cases the award became a "lower level" George Cross (previously the Albert Medal and Edward Medal) as the George Medal and British Empire Medal could not then be awarded posthumously and no other award existed.
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