Awards and rewards

There is a move currently afoot to persuade the powers that be to issue a medal to everybody who has served, in whatever capacity, in the armed forces. This would be a new medal as those currently available are for acts of bravery of particularly distinguished service (except, of course, for long service and good conduct medals). It does seem odd to me that people think a person who has done his job, for which he has been paid, should receive a medal even though he has performed his duties no better than satisfactorily. There are medals for those who have displayed extreme courage either in the face of the enemy (the Victoria Cross) or in other circumstances (the George Cross). I use the Victoria and George Crosses as examples. They are the highest bravery awards and there are others for courageous acts where the top awards are not appropriate. There are also awards for particularly distinguished service. But a medal for working at Catterick Garrison or the naval barracks at Portsmouth? I don't think so. At least, I hope not.

It's not just the medals that are awarded here in the UK. We have quite a complex system of honours involving, amongst others, various Orders of Chivalry. These are much too complicated for me to attempt any sort of explanation here - besides, I don't understand them myself - but anyone interested in learning more could do worse than visit the Debrett's web site. This would be a reasonable starting point. (This looks to be a great web site with a superb amount of detailed content about many things British.)

These honours are awarded twice annually, at the New Year and on the occasion of the sovereign's birthday. The broadsheet newspapers carry a couple of pages of close print listing everybody who has received an honour on these occasions. The most common of these honours is the MBE (member of the Order of the British Empire). This is, as you might have inferred, the lowest of the chivalric honours. It might be awarded to a pop singer who has become very popular in the USA and thus earned valuable overseas currency. It might be a successful sportsman or woman, perhaps an Olympic gold medallist. Or it might be a school crossing patrol who has stood out in all weathers for a good many years. It does sometimes seem that this honour, the MBE, is handed out a little too easily. My late father was asked if he would accept it (all propective recipients of honours are asked if they will accept them) but he declined. He thought that the Navy had been asked to find X number of potential recipients and that he had done nothing more than his job so he considered himself undeserving of the award. But a refusal is, I believe, rare.