United Kingdom Military Honours and Decorations Board
The Military Honours & Decorations Board is the body responsible for recognising and rewarding sacrifice and competence within the British Armed Forces.
History of the MHC
Established in January 2009 as the Military Honours Committee, shortly after other elements that defined the UK military were activated for Operation French Toast. The MHC, as it was usually referred to, has changed in name, but not aims since its inception, and still exists to reward service members for military service to the United Kingdom.
Editions I to III
Over its history, the MHC has gone through four distinct phases, marked by the publishing of each iteration of the Manual for Military Honours, [1][2][3]
MMH-IV
The Latest edition (MHC-IV) is a "fundamental revision" to the way that the committee functions, and most recognisably reasserts the MHC as the Military Honours & Decorations Board. [4]
Board Membership & Organisation
The Military Honours & Decorations Board is structured as follows:
- Defence Staff
- Political Appointments
- Prime Minister (or Deputy)
- Minister of Defence (or Deputy)
| Honour | Icon | Floating Box Template |
|---|---|---|
| VC | 
|
{{Victoria Cross}} |
| NVC | 
|
N/A |
| DFC | 
|
{{Distinguished Flying Cross}} |
| CGC | 
|
{{Conspicuous Gallantry Cross}} |
| DSO | 
|
{{Distinguished Service Order}} |
| MC | 
|
{{Military Cross (United Kingdom)}} |
| KCVS | 
|
{{King's Commendation for Valuable Service}} |
| MID | 
|
{{Mentioned in Despatches (United Kingdom)}} |
|
The award bar template should be signed and displayed on the award receiver's wiki article. It should theoretically be added by the signer, though another can add the signers name for convenience.
The floating box template is optional, and the receiver can choose to attach it to his wiki article or leave it out. It too has a simple coding structure, as shown below using the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for example:
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Awarding Process
During a month any member of the Military Honours Committee can nominate a member of the British Armed Forces; whose contributions they feel to have significantly benefitted their unit or the military as a whole, for consideration of having their efforts recognised and rewarded. The reasons are given and the proposal is opened up to debate and a vote.
The level of award offered depends on whether the committee deems the reasons given to fall within the strict guidelines given below, determined by a justified vote on the issue. The recipient is then officially offered the award and, provided they accept it, the MHC's final decision is announced in the Ministry of Defence paper and on the UK forums.
Finally, the MHC Wiki page is updated and the ribbon and award template are added to the conferee's wiki page (when possible).
Revocations
If a holder of any award performs an act or acts which are deemed traitorous by the CGS/MOD then any awards can be revoked immediately. If it is deemed that a holder of an award brings the UK as a whole or the UK Armed Forces into serious disrepute through their actions than the awards can be revoked after a vote of the MHC.
Military Honours, Decorations and Orders
Victoria Cross
The VC shall be awarded to any member of the UK Armed Forces who not only consistently performed their tasks to the absolute best of their abilities but went far above and beyond what’s expected of them and showed an extraordinary level of dedication and service to the eUK Armed Forces. The VC can further be awarded for a protracted series of significant sacrifices which has a drastic and positive impact on the eUK Armed Forces, which without their input, would have severely hampered the ability of the eUK Armed Forces to function.
Alternatively, a recipient can wear the Victoria Cross ribbon, as shown below:
There was no functional difference between this and the standard Victoria Cross. Previously, should a member of the Royal Navy become eligible for the Victoria Cross the thematic substitute of the Naval Victoria Cross was offered. With the decommissioning of the Royal Navy, the award was retired. However, when the Royal Navy has been reestablished, members could gain the Naval Victoria Cross.
Alternatively, a recipient can wear the Naval Victoria Cross ribbon, as shown below:
Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
The CGC shall be awarded to any member of the UK Armed Forces who not only consistently performed their tasks to the best of their abilities but went above and beyond what’s expected of them for the betterment of the entire eUK Armed Forces. The CGC can further be awarded for a short series of sacrifices which benefit the entire eUK Armed Forces.
Alternatively, a recipient can wear the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross ribbon, as shown below:
Distinguished Service Order
The DSO will be awarded to any officer of the British Armed Forces who, through a sustained period, shows outstanding leadership.
The DSO will also be automatically awarded to the CO of any Army Division upon appointment and to the CGS if not already a holder of one of the above posts. Former holders of the above posts or the equivalent GOC posts from previous Armed Forces structures will be given the award upon application to the MHC. The award will only be issued if they meet the eligibility requirements for the DSO and the MHC agrees through either the agreement of the CGS, President of the MHC and Vice-President of the MHC or a vote of the MHC.
Alternatively, a recipient can wear the Distinguished Service Order ribbon, as shown below:
Military Cross
The MC shall be awarded to any member of the eUK Armed Forces who not only consistently performed their tasks to the best of their abilities but went above and beyond what’s expected of them and showed an extraordinary level of dedication to their branch. The MC can further be awarded for a short series of significant sacrifices which has a drastic and positive impact on the branch, which without their input, would have severely hampered the ability of their branch to function.
Alternatively, a recipient can wear the Military Cross ribbon, as shown below:
King's Commendation for Valuable Service
The KCVS shall be awarded to any member of the eUK Armed Forces who not only consistently performed their tasks to the best of their abilities but went above and beyond what’s expected of them for the betterment of their branch. The KCVS can further be awarded for a short series of sacrifices which benefit their branch.
The KCVS can also be awarded to the top supplier in the Army every month as directed to the President of the MHC by the MoD and/or the CCS. The KCVS can be awarded to a member of the eUK Armed Forces if they attain a battle hero (BH) medal after being tanked through government funds.
The KCVS oak leaf cluster pin is attached to the service ribbon that corresponds to the branch the recipient served in at the time of receiving the decoration.
Mentioned in Despatches
The MID shall be awarded to any member of the eUK Armed Forces who consistently performed their tasks to the best of their abilities, usually after a period of one month or more, although this can be waived. The MID can also be awarded for persistent IRC or forum activity and dedicated service with-in their branch. The MID can further be awarded for individual acts of service and sacrifice to their branch.
The MID can be awarded to the top supplier every month as directed to the President of the MHC by the MoD and/or the CGS. The MID shall be awarded to members of the eUK Armed Forces who reach the rank of Colonel; on the proviso that they are currently serving and have a minimum of one month’s service in the Army.
The MID oak leaf pin is attached to the service ribbon that corresponds to the branch the recipient served in at the time of receiving the decoration.
Recipients of Military Honours
Victoria Cross
Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
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