The Naval General Service Medal (1915 NGSM) was instituted in 1915 to recognise service by 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 ...

and

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

in minor campaigns that would not otherwise earn a specific campaign medal. The Army/Air Force equivalent was the

General Service Medal (1918) __NOTOC__ The General Service Medal (1918 GSM) was instituted to recognise service in minor Army and Royal Air Force operations for which no separate medal was intended. Local forces, including police, qualified for many of the clasps, as could ...

. Both these medals were replaced by the General Service Medal in 1962.

Description

* The medal is silver and is in diameter. The obverse bears the image of one of three successive Sovereigns,

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

and

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. * The reverse, designed by

Margaret Winser Margaret Winser (1868 – 29 December 1944) was an English sculptor, medallist, artist, and art teacher. Life and works Margaret Winser was born at Rolvenden near Tenterdenin Kent during 1868, the daughter of Albert Winser, a farmer, and Mary ...

, shows a mounted figure of

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

in a chariot pulled by two sea-horses, her left hand resting on a union shield. * The name and details of the recipient were impressed on the edge of the medal. * The wide ribbon is crimson-coloured with three white stripes. * From 1920 a bronze oak leaf emblem is worn on the ribbon of the medal to signify a

mention in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

for a campaign for which the NGSM was awarded.

Obverse variations

The medal was awarded with one of five obverse designs: File:NGSM 1915 GV obv.jpg, King George V (1915–20) File:Distinguished Service Medal (UK) George VI obverse.jpg, George VI (1st type) 'INDIAE IMP' (1936–49) File:NGSM 1915 GVI obv 1949-52.jpg, George VI (2nd type) without 'INDIAE IMP' (1949–52) File:Naval General Service Medal 1915 (Obverse) First Elizabeth version.jpg, Elizabeth II (1st type) 'BR OMN' (1952–53) File:NGSM 1915 EBII obv.jpg, Elizabeth II (2nd type) 'DEI GRATIA' (1953–62)

Clasps

The 1915 NGSM was never awarded without a clasp. The seventeen clasps authorised are list below, the figures in brackets denoting the number awarded. * Persian Gulf 1909–1914 (7,164, including 37 to the Indian Army, travelling aboard H.M.S. Pelorus). For operations against pirates, gun-runners and slavers. * Iraq 1919–1920 (116). For river gunboat service during the Arab revolt. * N.W. Persia 1920 (4). Awarded to the four members of the Naval Mission to the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

. * Palestine 1936–39 (13,600). For service during the uprising by Palestinian Arabs. * S.E. Asia 1945-46 (2,000). For operations in

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

and

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

, prior to handover to the pre-war colonial power. * Minesweeping 1945–51 (4,750). For 6 months minesweeping service in specified areas across the world. * Palestine 1945–48 (7,900). For service during the post-war Jewish insurgency, including coastal patrols against illegal Jewish immigration. * Malaya (7,800). For service in Malaya and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

between 1948-60 during the state of emergency. * Yangtze 1949 (1,450). For the attack on and other vessels by Communist Chinese forces. * Bomb and Mine Clearance 1945–46. For operations by the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

, very few clasps with these dates being awarded. * Bomb and Mine Clearance 1945–53 (145). For 6 months spent in clearance operations in specified areas across the world. * B & M Clearance Mediterranean (60). For bomb and mine clearance between 1953-60 by divers, and to seamen who moved recovered bombs, mostly in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

harbour. *

Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terri ...

For service in the Suez Canal Zone between October 1951 and October 1954. (Authorised 2003). *

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

(4,300). For operations against

EOKA The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA; ; el, Εθνική Οργάνωσις Κυπρίων Αγωνιστών, lit=National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) was a Greek Cypriot Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνο� ...

insurgents, 1955–59. *

Near East The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...

(17,800). For operations during the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...

of 1956. * Arabian Peninsula (1,200). For service against dissidents and cross-border raids between 1957–60. *

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

(900). For service in

North Borneo North Borneo (usually known as British North Borneo, also known as the State of North Borneo) was a British Protectorate, British protectorate in the northern part of the island of Borneo, which is present day Sabah. The territory of North Borneo ...

and

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

in December 1962, a large proportion awarded to

42 Commando 42 Commando (42 Cdo) (pronounced as Four-Two Commando) is a subordinate unit within the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade. Based at Bickleigh Barracks near Plymouth, personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training. ...

References

External links

ODM of the UK

ADF Honours and Awards
{{New Zealand campaign medals British campaign medals Australian campaign medals New Zealand campaign medals 1915 establishments in the United Kingdom Awards established in 1915