Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1848)

Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1848)
1848 Queen Victoria version, with 1½" wide suspender and ribbon
Awarded by the Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Country	United Kingdom
Type	Military long service medal
Eligibility	Naval Other Ranks, Officers from 1981
Awarded for	21, 10, 18 or 15 years service, as prescribed from time to time
Status	Current
Statistics
Established	1848
First awarded	1848
Order of wear
Next (higher)	Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military)
Equivalent	Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1830)
Next (lower)	Medal for Meritorious Service (Royal Navy 1918-1928)
Ribbon Bars until and from 1874

The Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1848) was instituted by Queen Victoria to replace the Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1830). The medal could be awarded to other ranks and men serving in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

The Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1830) was introduced on 20 November 1830 and ratified by King William IV on 24 August 1831. This medal, known as the "anchor type", could only be awarded to selected other ranks, ratings or marines after altogether 21 years of service and good conduct. It remained in use until 1847, ten years into the reign of Queen Victoria.

The Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1848) was instituted by Queen Victoria to replace the Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1830). The new medal could still only be awarded to other ranks, ratings and marines, but from March 1981 it could also be awarded to officers who had completed at least twelve years of service in the ranks before being commissioned.

When it was instituted in 1848, the medal could be awarded after 21 years of unblemished service. The qualifying period was reduced to ten years in 1874, and then increased again to eighteen years. The time served requirement was finally reduced to fifteen years with effect from 1 December 1977.

An other rank, rating or marine who had completed fifteen years of reckonable service and who held three good conduct badges, became eligible to receive the medal. Since there were a number of offences which would normally preclude the award of the medal, awards were only made after a thorough check of a sailor's service record. The award of the medal required the recommendation of the individual's commanding officer and it could therefore only be awarded to serving personnel. Along with the medal, a recipient was paid a gratuity.

The first good conduct badge could be awarded upon completion of two years service, with the required standard of conduct not falling below "Very Good". The second could be granted after a further four years, or six years total service, and the third after another six years, or twelve years total service. Further good conduct badges could be awarded every six years. When in uniform, a large inverted chevron was worn on the lower left forearm to denote the award of a good conduct badge, with subsequent awards represented by additional chevrons.