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| Air Force Medal | |
|---|---|
| Name | Air Force Medal |
| Presented by | United Kingdom |
| Type | military decoration |
| Eligibility | non-commissioned personnel of the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces |
| Awarded for | "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy" |
| Status | discontinued (1979 in UK; continues in other Commonwealth realms with variations) |
| Established | 1918 |
| First awarded | 1918 |
| Last awarded | 1993 (varies by country) |
| Higher | Royal Red Cross |
| Lower | Distinguished Flying Medal |
Air Force Medal is a military decoration instituted in 1918 to recognise non-commissioned aircrew for courage or devotion to duty while flying. It was created alongside the Air Force Cross to reward meritorious flying by personnel not engaged in direct combat, and formed part of the British honours system for the Royal Air Force and wider Commonwealth air services. The medal's award, criteria and eventual replacement in some jurisdictions reflect changing attitudes to rank, service recognition, and the evolution of aviation operations across the 20th century.
The Air Force Medal was established by royal warrant in 1918 during the final months of the First World War to complement the Air Force Cross. The creation followed discussions in the Admiralty and the War Office about recognising aerial achievement after the formation of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918. Early awards were made for test flying, long-distance flights, and non-operational bravery during the interwar period, with recipients drawn from units such as No. 1 Squadron RAF and the Royal Flying Corps successor formations. During the Second World War, the Air Force Medal was issued extensively to aircrew of the RAF Bomber Command, RAF Coastal Command and Commonwealth contingents from the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Royal New Zealand Air Force. Postwar reviews of the British honours system and reforms under successive monarchs led to changes in eligibility; in 1993 the UK moved to discontinue separate awards by rank, aligning with the elimination of rank-based distinctions also affecting the Distinguished Conduct Medal and others. Several Commonwealth countries, notably Australia and New Zealand, implemented their own honours systems, replacing or retaining equivalents of the Air Force Medal at different times.
Eligibility originally encompassed non-commissioned officers and other ranks of the Royal Air Force and applicable Commonwealth air forces for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy". Criteria emphasised exceptional airmanship during test flights, search-and-rescue sorties, ferrying duties, and hazardous non-combat missions such as long-range survey flights or civil aid after natural disasters. Recommendations often originated from commanding officers of formations like RAF Transport Command or RAF Training Command and were considered alongside contemporaneous awards such as the Royal Victorian Medal when incidents involved the Royal Family or state flights. After the 1993 reform in the UK, commissioned officers and other ranks became eligible for the unified Air Force Cross, removing the rank distinction that had separated the Air Force Medal from its commissioned counterpart.
The Air Force Medal is a circular silver medal bearing the effigy of the reigning monarch on the obverse; successive issues display the portraits of monarchs including George V, George VI, and Elizabeth II. The reverse features an alighting eagle within a laurel wreath, often accompanied by the inscription denoting the award and year, and design elements credited to artists commissioned by the Royal Mint. The ribbon is white with a central purple stripe, mirroring the ribbon of the Air Force Cross but reflecting its distinct status for non-commissioned personnel. Naming of the recipient is impressed on the rim, listing service number, rank and unit such as No. 617 Squadron RAF or Fleet Air Arm detachments where applicable. Miniature and ribbon bar forms exist for wear on mess dress, and presentation cases are supplied by the Ministry of Defence or predecessor departments.
Recommendations for the Air Force Medal typically passed from squadron or wing commanders to higher formation headquarters and ultimately to the Air Ministry in the early decades, later processed by the Ministry of Defence honours branch. Nominations required corroborating reports, witness statements from crew and ground staff, and operational logs from units such as RAF Regiment detachments or allied squadrons. Awards were announced in official publications including the London Gazette and presented by the monarch, members of the Royal Household or senior officers at investiture ceremonies held at Buckingham Palace or regional command headquarters. Bars for subsequent acts meriting the medal were permitted; holders with multiple awards were denoted by silver bars on the ribbon. The administrative framework mirrored that of decorations like the Distinguished Service Order in terms of citation handling, though the Air Force Medal's non-operational remit distinguished its nomination pathways.
Notable recipients include non-commissioned airmen and warrant officers whose actions gained public recognition. Examples span early pioneers and wartime figures from units such as No. 303 Squadron RAF and No. 617 Squadron RAF, as well as Commonwealth heroes from the Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force. Recipients also include test pilots attached to establishments like the Royal Aircraft Establishment and search-and-rescue crews from units linked to the Coastguard and Air Sea Rescue Services. Several recipients later received commissioned ranks and additional honours such as the Air Force Cross or appointments to orders like the Order of the British Empire for subsequent service.
In the order of wear within the British system the Air Force Medal ranked below awards such as the Royal Red Cross and above decorations including the Distinguished Flying Medal in earlier precedence lists. It formed part of a family of aviation awards that included the Air Force Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, and campaign-specific medals issued for theatres like the Battle of Britain and the North African Campaign. With the UK reforms of the 1990s, the distinction by rank was removed and the Air Force Medal ceased to be awarded in favour of a unified system; other Commonwealth realms adopted divergent approaches, creating national distinctions such as the Australian Honours System and the New Zealand Order of Merit to replace imperial decorations. The Air Force Medal remains a historical emblem of non-commissioned aerial gallantry and devotion during a formative era of military aviation.
Category:Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom