Pin the Medal on the Chest (Medal Placement and Identification)

[Farmerdan]

@Command Paper

The Humanitarian Medal will be awarded to those in public service and members of organisations that contribute on behalf of HM Government, such as charities, which respond in support of human welfare during or in the aftermath of a crisis - for example, in combating a life-threatening crisis; providing disaster relief or aid provision; whether in hazardous circumstances such as conflict zones or otherwise; both in the UK and internationally.

The type of service given must focus on humanitarian crisis rather than more broadly humanitarian welfare (response rather than the recovery) and must be in line with humanitarian principles in a domestic and international context. With that in mind, the following types of qualifying service could be applied:

• Extraordinary, in response to a crisis or emergency stimulus.
• Exceptional, in the sense of infrequently-occurring.
• Planned as a response to that crisis.
• A deliberate commitment of resources.
• Focused to a defined geographic area and/or population.
• Time-limited.

Hard criteria

• A defined start date for the service.
• A defined end date for the service.
• A defined geographical area.
• A defined length of service.

Levels of emergency

The Humanitarian Medal will only be awarded to serious (level 2) or catastrophic (level 3) emergencies:

• Serious Emergency (Level 2) - One which has, or threatens, a wide and/or prolonged impact requiring sustained central government coordination and support from a number of departments and agencies, usually including the regional tier in England and where appropriate, the devolved administrations. The central government response to such an emergency would be coordinated from the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR), under the leadership of the lead government department.
• Catastrophic Emergency (Level 3) - One which has an exceptionally high and potentially widespread impact and requires immediate central government direction and support. Characteristics might include a top-down response in circumstances where the local response had been overwhelmed, or the use of emergency powers were required.

Individual eligibility

All qualifying service must be either:

• Frontline service - eligible recipients must have had direct contact with those whom they seek to assist, that is, the affected group or population;
• People-facing - service must focus on human welfare, a primary emphasis on people will always be essential. Service to preserve institutions etc can be considered via other forms of recognition; and/or
• In direct support of the affected population - those operating with rigour to deliver operational effect which directly influences or impacts on the operational area without being subject to direct personal risk.

Qualifying service should include at least one of the following:

• Hazardous service - Conditions which are unsafe (war zones, areas affected by natural disasters); insecure (threats to life, whether natural, biological or human); rapidly changing; or at heightened risk (from ongoing natural disasters, increased exposure to potential harm);
• Sustained service - People who gave a long-term frontline service in response to the emergency of which conditions were on-going rather than immediate; and/or
• Significant service - Persons who contributed in direct response to the emergency, assisted with the protection of lives and property and performed extraordinarily. This may be shorter in duration but characterised by a particularly serious immediate threat to life.

Organisational eligibility

Organisations eligible for the medal will have been deployed on behalf of, formally funded by or formally endorsed by HM Government. Organisations such as charities that attend an incident uninvited by HM Government will not be eligible.

I see this as being for similar situations as the Ebola medal, but bringing in one overarching medal rather than individual ones each time - essentially a GSM for humanitarian work. Would also cover going in to help after major flooding/earthquakes etc.

[Nucleotide]

@Farmerdan

I still think they won’t do a COVID one as it will end up being such a wide issue to cover everyone who put themselves at risk (delivery drivers, supermarket cashiers, testing centre volunteers etc)

There was an unofficial Covid Cross made for NHS trusts to award to people. I’m still a little sore myself and others in the actual labs doing the qPCR tests didn’t get them

[WhiskeyNovember]

My squadron had a cadet (at the time) who ended up leading one of the testing sites close to us. She saw her duty, stepped up and delivered it at a young age when many others who didn’t need to shield hid away.

Her only real thanks was being fired when the subcontracted org downsized.

There are many people who were involved in the Covid response who definitely deserve recognition. I include those like yourself working in the lab, and those who stepped up to work front-line and put themselves at high risk for the sake of others, like my cadet did.

[daws1159]

@Farmerdan

I still think they won’t do a COVID one as it will end up being such a wide issue to cover everyone who put themselves at risk (delivery drivers, supermarket cashiers, testing centre volunteers etc) that it becomes pointless, or it goes really narrow and doesn’t recognise civilians properly and causes such resentment that it backfires politically.

Yeah it’s either huge in which case a) what’s the point and b) how do we pay for it. Or it’s small in which case the RMT would go on strike.

Will be interesting to see if this gets fished out for things like Terror Attacks or Grenfell etc

[Horriblelittletechie]

Busy weekend fir the MoDMO… New clasp for GSM as well.

No wonder the KCM had taken a back seat.

[WOTB]

Reading those criteria, RN will get lion’s share (they’re alway doing disaster relief somewhere - I believe it even forms part of their pre deployment testing), RAF will get very few as although helicopters & the Brize Norton pickfords do a lot they aren’t people facing….

Definitely a high bar for domestic incidents, although lots happen (floods, fires etc) not many require COBR leadership.

[Virgil]

COVID response such as what I did with an org called RE:ACT would be the nearest I can think of.

Although I do note that unlike past gongs there won’t be any back dating, only from the point of Royal Assent forwards.

[YO8102]

@Virgil

RE:ACT

I had to look that up. I didn’t realise Team Rubicon had changed its name.

[Nucleotide]

If anyone is feeling especially walty, can buy your own COVID medal…

Imagine rolling up somewhere with this.

The Pandemic Response Medal of the British People

[XRSO]

It’s a bit like the BIM. (Bought It Myself).

[Farmerdan]

These companies really need putting out of business.

[Virgil]

Will never understand the mentality of those that buy these things.

[Horriblelittletechie]

I sort of can.
But it does make me feel really bad for especially the old boys who did national service, or served during the cold war and didn’t deploy or receive any recognition for their service.

It’s the companies who pedals it I take offense at.

[Valiant]

Our trust created miniatures of the George Cross into a pin badge which is on my NHS lanyard. It was a nice touch.

[Horriblelittletechie]

As long as you didn’t have to buy it…

[Valiant]

No we didn’t. It’s basically the George Cross but in pin badge form. I say our trust, but it was just the directorate I work in.

[Nucleotide]

Potentially silly question but is anyone in the NHS eligible to wear the full size George Cross?

IIRC one of the top directors of the NHS went to an investiture to receive the medal. Would they wear the medal or not since it’s an organisational award?

[Horriblelittletechie]

Similar rules to PSNI/Ulster Constabulary and Malta I guess.

Individually no. It’s an organisational honour similar to battle honors on a regimental standard.

[Virgil]

That is fair - my Gramps has nothing to show for his National Service other than his demob card.

I suppose I was thinking more on the Walty ones for modern times - case in point: Cadet Forces Medal for Sale | Buy Commemorative Cadet 150 Medal

[Valiant]

Techie is spot on with his answer.

Mind you even if I could, I don’t know if I would.