Conspicuous Gallantry Cross

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Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
Obverse of the medal. Ribbon: 32mm, white with blue edges and a red central stripe.
Awarded by United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Type	Military decoration.
Eligibility	British and allied forces.
Awarded for	... an act or acts of conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy.^[1]
Status	Currently awarded.
Description	36mm max width; silver cross patée imposed on a wreath of laurel, with the Royal Crown in a circular panel in the centre. Suspended by a ring from a plain suspension bar.
Statistics
Established	October 1993
Total awarded	19 individuals, 1 collective award.
Precedence
Next highest	Victoria Cross
Next lowest	Distinguished Service Cross, Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross

The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) is a second level military decoration of the United Kingdom armed forces.

The CGC was instituted in the aftermath of the 1993 review of the honours system. As part of the drive to remove distinctions of rank in awards for bravery, the CGC replaced both the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (Air and Naval) as second level awards to Other Ranks and ratings. The CGC also replaced the Distinguished Service Order, in its role as an award to officers for gallantry (although the DSO was retained as an award for outstanding leadership). The CGC now serves as the second level award for gallantry for all ranks across the whole armed forces.

The CGC, which may be awarded posthumously, is awarded "in recognition of an act or acts of conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy".

Bars are awarded to the CGC in recognition of the performance of further acts of gallantry meriting the award. Recipients are entitled to the postnominal letters CGC.

[edit] Recipients

Since the CGC's introduction in 1993, only twenty awards have been made, none posthumously. The following is a list of recipients to date (Dec 2006):^[2]

Name	Rank	Unit	Gazetted	Conflict
Mills, Wayne	Corporal	Duke of Wellington's Regiment	9 May 1995	Former Republic of Yugoslavia
Humphreys, Peter	Colour Sergeant	Royal Welsh Fusiliers	9 May 1996	Former Republic of Yugoslavia
Name not published		SBS	6 April 2001	Sierra Leone (Operation Barras)
Name not published		SAS	6 April 2001	Sierra Leone (Operation Barras)
Name not published		SBS	29 Oct 2002	Afghanistan
Name not published		SBS	29 Oct 2002	Afghanistan
Name not published		SAS	29 Oct 2002	Afghanistan
Name not published		SAS	29 Oct 2002	Afghanistan
Thomas, Justin Royston	Marine	Royal Marines	31 Oct 2003	Iraq
Flynn, Michael John	Lance Corporal of Horse	Blues and Royals	31 Oct 2003	Iraq
Jardine, Shaun Garry	Corporal	King's Own Scottish Borderers	23 April 2004	Iraq
Robertson, Gordon	Sergeant	Parachute Regiment	23 April 2004	Iraq
Broome, Christopher Mark	Sergeant	Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment	15 Mar 2005	Iraq
Bryan, Terry	Sergeant	Royal Regiment of Artillery	15 Mar 2005	Iraq
Thomson, Terence Alan	Corporal	Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment	15 Mar 2005	Iraq
Day, Tony Kenneth	Corporal	Royal Marines	18 Mar 2005 (To be dated 29 Oct 2002)	Afghanistan
Merchant, Jeremy Mark	Captain	Royal Marines	18 Mar 2005 (To be dated 29 Oct 2002)	Afghanistan
Sanders, Edward Lawrence	Private	Parachute Regiment	18 Mar 2005 (To be dated 29 Oct 2002)	Afghanistan
Tomlinson, Matthew Robert	Colour Sergeant	Royal Marines	24 Mar 2006	Iraq
Collective Award^[3]		Royal Irish Regiment		Northern Ireland

[edit] Notes

^ http://www.operations.mod.uk/honours/honours.htm
^ Michael O'Brien, Update on Awards of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, Orders and Medals Research Society Journal, Sept 2005 (vol 44, no 3), p188 (awards up to March 2005); with additions included from London Gazette (March 2005 to date).
^ It is the first time this medal has been collectively awarded to a military unit, and only the third occasion that such a collective award has been bestowed (the others being the 1942 George Cross to Malta and the 1999 George Cross to the Royal Ulster Constabulary)