The Firmin Sword of Peace (previously known as the Wilkinson Sword of Peace) is an award given to units of the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

for activities above and beyond the unit's normal role that improve relations with the community, either within the United Kingdom, or overseas. The award was established by British swordmaker

Wilkinson Sword Wilkinson Sword is a formerly British brand for razors and other personal care products sold in Europe, owned by the US company Edgewell Personal Care. The company was founded as a manufacturer of guns made in Shotley Bridge in County Durham, ...

in 1966, with the company presenting a ceremonial sword to one unit each of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

(including the

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

; each unit having been judged as making the most outstanding contribution to community relations within each service during the calendar year. An award can be shared between multiple units on the same operation: for example, the 1998 Navy award was presented to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships and for their involvement in Operation Teller (the British relief response to

Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing over 11,000 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately 7,000 in Honduras and 3,800 in Nicaragua due to cataclysmic flooding from the slow motion ...

). The award can also be shared with foreign military units: the frigates and received the 1983 Navy Sword of Peace after a series of port visits made by the two ships to African nations sparked several diplomatic initiatives. From 1994 onwards, the company began presenting a fourth sword to any joint-service unit or ''ad hoc'' single-operation unit that met the criteria for the award. Unlike the awards for the three services, the "Special" sword was only presented if such a unit existed and was deemed worth recognising. After Wilkinson stopped the production of swords in 2005, Firmin & Sons began sponsoring the award. Awards since 2005 have been made as follows: Additionally in 2014 a Special Achievement Award was made to the Gurkha Welfare Scheme.2015 Defence Instruction 01-217 released in November 2015

References

{{reflist Ceremonial weapons Honorary weapons Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom