The Royal Ulster Constabulary Service Medal was a medal created to honour the service of members of the
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...
(RUC) and the RUC Reserve. Established in 1982 and first awarded in 1985, the medal ceased to be awarded when the RUC was replaced by the
Police Service of Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ')
is the police, police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabu ...
.
Criteria
This Royal Ulster Constabulary Service Medal was awarded to all members of the RUC and RUC Reserve who completed eighteen months of service. Those individuals who died, were wounded, or disabled due to service, and did not complete the required period of service were also eligible for the medal. Service must have been from 1 January 1971,
until the replacement of the RUC in 2001.
Description
The medal is circular and made of silver coloured metal. The
obverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...
bears the effigy of
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 her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
wearing the
St Edward's Crown
St Edward's Crown is the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Named after Saint Edward the Confessor, versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13th cen ...
, surrounded by the royal titles. The reverse depicts the badge of the Royal Ulster Constabulary above the words ''FOR SERVICE''.
[ The ribbon of the medal is light green with central stripes of red, black and dark green.]George Cross
The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...
to the Royal Ulster Constabulary.[
Approximately of 40,000 RUC Service Medals were awarded.][Jim Galloway. ''The Northern Ireland Prison Service Medal''. Orders and Medals Research Society Journal, March 2021, Vol 60 No 1. Page 47.]
See also
* Police Service of Northern Ireland Service Medal
References
External links
Duchess of Kent presents the first RUC Service Medals in 1985
{{Efficiency and long service decorations and medals
Civil awards and decorations of the United Kingdom
Law enforcement awards and honors