The Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal is a medal awarded to regular members of the Royal Air Force in recognition of long service. It was instituted by King George V in 1919, the year following the establishment of the world's first independent air force. At first, the medal was awarded to Regular Force non-commissioned officers and airmen of the Royal Air Force. The award criteria were later relaxed to also allow the award of the medal to officers who had served a minimum period in the ranks before being commissioned.^[1] Since 2016, it is awarded to all regular members of the RAF, including officers who had never served in the ranks.

Quick Facts Type, Awarded for ...

Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
King George V version
Type	Military long service medal
Awarded for	18 years service until 1977 15 years service from 1977
Country	United Kingdom
Presented by	the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India
Eligibility	Air Force Other Ranks Conditionally to officers from 1947
Status	Current
Established	1919
First awarded	October 1919
Ribbon Bar
Order of wear
Next (higher)	Royal Air Force Meritorious Service Medal (1918–1928)
Next (lower)	Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Ulster Defence Regiment)

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In the complex British honours system, there were distinct awards for officers and men for each service arm, Navy, Army and Air Force, and for each type of service, Regular Force or Reserve components. Regular Force officers were not eligible for any long service awards since, as they held a commission, they were expected to serve honourably and for a long period of time. Reserve Force officers were eligible for various long service decorations that granted them the use of post-nominal letters, while Reserve Force other ranks were eligible for various long service and good conduct medals, but without post-nominals.^[2]

The Royal Air Force - the world's first Air Force - was established on 1 April 1918 by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps of the Army and the Royal Naval Air Service of the Navy.^[3][4][5] Regular Force other ranks of the new "junior service" had earlier been eligible for the award of either the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal or the Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1848), depending on their service of origin. In the year following the establishment of the Royal Air Force, on 1 July 1919, the Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal was instituted by King George V, and the first awards of the medal were announced in October 1919.^[1][5][6][7]

When it was instituted, the medal could be awarded to Regular Force Royal Air Force non-commissioned officers and airmen after eighteen years of unblemished service. The qualifying period was reduced to fifteen years with effect from 1 December 1977.^{[8] [1][5][9]}

Eligibility

An airman became eligible for the award of the medal upon completion of eighteen (later fifteen) years of reckonable service from the date of attestation or age 17½, whichever was later. However, there were a number of offences which would normally preclude award of the medal. Awards were only made after a thorough check of an airman's record of service. The award of the medal required the recommendation of the individual's commanding officer and it could therefore only be awarded to serving personnel.^[10]

Prior to 1944 up to four years of the required total could have been earned in either the Royal Navy or British Army before the serviceman had transferred to the Royal Air Force. Prior to 1945 the medal could be awarded for distinguished service in wartime or emergency, without the time served or good conduct requirement having to be fulfilled.^[1][5]

Clasp

From 1944 a clasp to the medal could be awarded for additional periods of eighteen (later fifteen) years of good service. As of Oct 16, a clasp is awarded for each period of ten years of unblemished service. ^[1][10]

Officers

Regular Force officers were traditionally not eligible for any long service awards. From 1947, announced in AMO A576, Royal Air Force Officers also became eligible for the award of the medal, but only if at least twelve of the fifteen years of their service had been in the ranks and provided that the conduct requirements for the award of the medal had been met. Also from that date, an officer became eligible for the award of the clasp if at least twenty-two of the thirty years of his or her service had been in the ranks and provided that the conduct requirements had been met.^{[1][2][7][10]}

Effective from 1 October 2016, but with eligibility backdated to 29 July 2014, all Officers become eligible for the award, following 15 years service without any disciplinary records.

In the order of wear prescribed by the British Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, the Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal takes precedence after the Royal Air Force Meritorious Service Medal (1918–1928) and before the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Ulster Defence Regiment).^[11]

The medal was struck in silver and is a disk, 36 millimetres (1.42 inches) in diameter.^[1][10]

Obverse

The obverse of the medal shows the effigy of the reigning monarch, King George V, on the first version. Two versions of the medal each were produced during the reigns of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.^[1][10][12]

Reverse

The reverse of the medal remained unchanged through all versions of the obverse and bears the Royal Air Force eagle with outstretched wings, surmounted by the crown and with the inscription "FOR LONG SERVICE AND GOOD CONDUCT" around the circumference.^[1][10]

Clasp

The Clasp bears the image of an eagle with outstretched wings, surmounted by the crown. In undress uniform a silver rosette on the ribbon bar denotes the award of the clasp.^[10]

Ribbon

The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide with a 3 millimetres wide white band, a 13 millimetres wide dark blue band, a 13 millimetres wide crimson band and a 3 millimetres wide white band.^[1][10]

• Charity Bick GM, at age 16 the youngest ever recipient of the George Medal.^[25]
• Wilfred Bowes OBE, Special Investigation Branch who investigated the "Great Escape" murders by the Gestapo in 1944.

In March 2015 a proposed intention to introduce a single new long service medal for all three Service Arms was announced by the United Kingdom's Government, to replace the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military), the Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1848) and the Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. The proposed medal was to be awarded after fifteen years of service, regardless of rank, and while the good conduct element of the award criteria would have remained, it would only have applied to the last five years of the fifteen-year aggregate time served requirement. With this medal officers, who have had no medallic recognition for long service unless they were commissioned after serving at least twelve years in the ranks, would have also been rewarded for their dedication.^[26]

In September 2016, it was formally announced in Defence Instruction 2016DIN09-023, that plans for a new medal had been shelved and the current RAF LS&GC would continue with revised regulations, that all RAF Officers will become eligible for its award effective from 1 October 2016 with the eligibility being backdated to 29 July 2014 (published in Chapter 5 to JSP761 (Honours and Awards in the Armed Forces) and Queen's Regulations of the Royal Air Force.^[27]