Wider Service Medal

[Toadstool]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/operational-medals-is-broadened-with-the-new-wider-service-medal

Good news with the introduction of the wider service medal.A new operational medal recognising the service of personnel delivering crucial operational impact, but where the physical risk to life is lower than traditionally required for the award of an operational medal, has been announced by the Defence Secretary today.

The Wider Service Medal (WSM) medal, which has been approved by HM The King, recognises Armed Forces personnel and civilians working outside the traditional criteria of existing operational medals.

The move has been made to recognise the ever-changing nature of warfare and ensure that those fulfilling crucial roles can receive medallic recognition.

Personnel eligible for the medal are likely to include those deployed on a wide range of missions such as international coalitions and deterrence.

These operations include Royal Navy personnel serving on the UK’s continuous at sea Nuclear Deterrent, as well as maritime activity in the Middle East; Army personnel deployed as part of the UK’s reassurance to the people of Estonia; and RAF pilots and supporting ground crew deployed to Estonia and Romania as part of the UK’s commitment to the NATO air policing patrol.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: Our modern Armed Forces are among the best in the world and do incredible work across the globe.

The Wider Service Medal recognises the wide range of roles our personnel play in ensuring success on operations.

It also recognises the ever-changing nature of warfare, underlining the importance of operations which deter adversaries in a pre-war world.
The WSM is being introduced to recognise the changing nature of operational activity, whereby Armed Forces personnel are increasingly deployed or used to deliver operational impact but not necessarily in roles that expose them to physical risk.

This activity does not fall within the traditional, operational medallic criteria that continues to rely on ‘risk and rigour’. For the first time, the WSM will ensure that Armed Forces personnel who are delivering this type of operational effect will be eligible for medallic recognition.
Criteria for the medal includes:

Defined operational activity where there is evidence of operational impact that contributes to the UK objectives but does not meet the traditional medal threshold in terms of physical risk to the individual.
The individual must have accrued 180 days’ aggregated service on eligible operations. Subsequent service of 180 days will result in the award of a bar to the medal, up to a maximum of three bars.

The medal will be retrospective to December 2018 for ongoing operations.

[reds & greens]

... and for those many Vet's who proudly gave prior to 2018, 'Cheers, move on...'
Next.

[Bob Viking]

I mean no offence but maybe you should just be happy for those that do get it (not me) and accept that you served at a different time and did a good job.

BV

[minigundiplomat]

HQ dwellers and biff chit medal.

[NutLoose]

It does feel like they are handing them out like smarties, a retention aid?
I for one could never fathom out the reasoning behind the accumulated service medal, surely a simple bar or rosette added to the existing GSM would have sufficed.

I am happy for those that receive it, they deserve it, but it still feels an odd one.

..

[SLXOwft]

One might cry 'O tempora, o mores!' but I think those of us served when pterodactyls filled the skies need to accept that attitudes have changed and some of the younger generation expect recognition where private satisfaction for a job well done was what deemed sufficient in the past.

All medals have had a start date for eligibility, I presume 2018 has been chosen because that's when MOD flagged up it was going to happen, There is an argument it should be backdated to 2012 when the Holmes review suggested a need for it.

Part of me wonders what those who criticise think of the SAM without rosette, particular for those whose service was between the ceasefire and the arrival of F-4s at Stanley.

[Rebus]

I bet members of the Royal Family get one, to go with all the other one's they've 'earned'.

[minigundiplomat]

I bet members of the Royal Family get one, to go with all the other one's they've 'earned'.

The only two members of the Royal Family who've earned campaign medals, are banned from wearing them by the others; one of whom is a non-sweating WAFU and very questionable to be fair....

[Ken Scott]

Whilst I have no issue with the idea behind this medal and indeed the range of GSMs available for pretty much every operational deployment it does rather jar with the resistance put up for so many years against awarding a campaign medal to the members of Bomber Command who faced risk to life of a completely different order.

[NutLoose]

My only concern is it isn't possibly all encompassing, not a problem giving it to people based in Cyprus supporting the mission in the likes of Syria, I.e. the Sqns Engineers and Pilots etc.

But then should that not also encompass those serving in the messes in Cyprus, or the clothing stores, or any other unit on the station, as they are all backing up those Sqns, you could then argue so are those at their home base in the U.K ensuring spares, equipment and change overs for those Squadrons along with a myriad of other tasks are contributing to the task in Syria, are they to be ignored for simply being UK based? The Airforce support system does not stop at the gates of Akrotiri.

[Lomon]

The Airforce support system does not stop at the gates of Akrotiri.
The Airforce support system barely started at the gates of Akrotiri. Those of us there for Ops generally found those posted there to be as unhelpful as possible (probably because we had ruined their 3 year holiday in the sun)

[Union Jack]

Interesting to see that the OP refers to "Personnel eligible for the medal are likely to include those deployed on a wide range of missions such as international coalitions and deterrence.

These operations include Royal Navy personnel serving on the UK’s continuous at sea Nuclear Deterrent...." which is exactly what the Royal Navy Deterrent Patrol Pin was designed to cover, so looks like possible dual recognition.

That said, I can't help feeling that both the name of the award and the colour scheme of the ribbon appear distinctly underwhelming....:uhoh:

Jack

[Tocsin]

I can't believe that standards have dropped so far that there have been no comments on the headline grammar: "Operational medals is broadened with the new Wider Service Medal":D

[NutLoose]

Maybe the King realising he might not be around much longer was determined to get his head on a medal. ;)

[Jobza Guddun]

Maybe the King realising he might not be around much longer was determined to get his head on a medal. ;)

He already has....:E

[mymatetcm]

Hope they don't include Op Tansor, or MPA QRA duties on the list !!

[Sloppy Link]

The Airforce support system barely started at the gates of Akrotiri. Those of us there for Ops generally found those posted there to be as unhelpful as possible (probably because we had ruined their 3 year holiday in the sun)
Try being a transiting soldier to or from a full blown theatre of war…

[NutLoose]

There is a new medal on the block for those serving on ops at a distance, The medal will be retrospective to December 2018 for ongoing operations. The Wider Services Medal!

See

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/operational-medals-is-broadened-with-the-new-wider-service-medal

[Ken Scott]

And they wouldn’t give a medal to the veterans of Bomber Command…

[Wetstart Dryrun]

Does working from home count?

[uffington sb]

A certain Chief Constable might even be entitled to one!

https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/658337-wider-service-medal.html?highlight=Wider+service+medal

[cynicalint]

I feel that those who deployed to Al Udeid should be covered by this. The Movers, and Engineers worked in appalling heat, under the restrictions of the USAF, The terrorist threat was ever present. While the tine at Al Udeid was in no way comparable to service in Iraq or Afghanistan, without those, Ops in both theatres would have faltered. Ops were directed from the CAOC, Int and targeting was supplied from the CAOC. Supplies came to and from Al Udeid. All personnel at one time transited through there, and work on those aircraft handling ops was exhausting. This who served in Saudi under Southern Watch, before the move to Al Udeid, were awarded the GSM (Air Ops Iraq). Those at Al Udeid deserve recognition as service there was more arduous than Saudi.

[Hydromet]

I understand that Nick Adderley already has his.

[ShyTorque]

I got wider in service. Do I qualify?

[Wensleydale]

Whilst I have no issue with the idea behind this medal and indeed the range of GSMs available for pretty much every operational deployment it does rather jar with the resistance put up for so many years against awarding a campaign medal to the members of Bomber Command who faced risk to life of a completely different order.

They got a medal: either the Aircrew Europe Star or the France Germany Star. They even got a clasp to the 39-45 Star which is appropriate given the ethos of the award of WW2 medals which were given for region and not to individual organisations.

[Wensleydale]

And they wouldn’t give a medal to the veterans of Bomber Command…

Yes they did: either France Germany Star or the Aircrew Europe Star.

[Ken Scott]

I would suggest that Harris and the majority of his veterans thought otherwise, many of whom campaigned vigorously into later life to address what they felt was an insult. The refusal to acknowledge their contribution I don’t believe had anything to do with the ‘ethos of wartime medals’ but everything to do with government embarrassment at the effectiveness of the bombing campaign and a desire to distance themselves from it, despite the fact that over 55,000 young men died prosecuting official government policy (and were likely pivotal in Allied victory).

To my mind a distinct campaign medal, like the one awarded to those on the Atlantic convoys at the time of the award of the BC clasp, would have been an acknowledgment that the country appreciated the sacrifice of so much youth, something most of the survivors have gone to their graves not believing. Too late now with hardly a BC veteran left.

Compare that attitude to the modern award of medals to almost everyone for the least amount of service in support of an operation. I’m awaiting the (long overdue) arrival of my 4th one just for being in uniform when a Royal celebrates an event…

[Ken Scott]

All those veterans who campaigned vigorously for one would not have agreed with you…

[Wensleydale]

I would suggest that Harris and the majority of his veterans thought otherwise, many of whom campaigned vigorously into later life to address what they felt was an insult. The refusal to acknowledge their contribution I don’t believe had anything to do with the ‘ethos of wartime medals’ but everything to do with government embarrassment at the effectiveness of the bombing campaign and a desire to distance themselves from it, despite the fact that over 55,000 young men died prosecuting official government policy (and were likely pivotal in Allied victory).

To my mind a distinct campaign medal, like the one awarded to those on the Atlantic convoys at the time of the award of the BC clasp, would have been an acknowledgment that the country appreciated the sacrifice of so much youth, something most of the survivors have gone to their graves not believing. Too late now with hardly a BC veteran left.

Compare that attitude to the modern award of medals to almost everyone for the least amount of service in support of an operation. I’m awaiting the (long overdue) arrival of my 4th one just for being in uniform when a Royal celebrates an event…

UK Military Medals are awarded for "Theatre" and not individual activities within that theatre. Individual activities are recognised by the award of a clasp to the theatre medal and therefore a clasp for Bomber Command is appropriate. It was unfortunate that the Bomber Command Clasp was late in being awarded. The Arctic Convoys medal was recognising an area that was not initially included within the Atlantic Star: had it been then that too would have been a clasp. Bottom Line: you cannot award two stars for the same area at the same time frame....hence the clasp.

[trim it out]

I feel that those who deployed to Al Udeid should be covered by this. The Movers, and Engineers worked in appalling heat, under the restrictions of the USAF, The terrorist threat was ever present. While the tine at Al Udeid was in no way comparable to service in Iraq or Afghanistan, without those, Ops in both theatres would have faltered. Ops were directed from the CAOC, Int and targeting was supplied from the CAOC. Supplies came to and from Al Udeid. All personnel at one time transited through there, and work on those aircraft handling ops was exhausting. This who served in Saudi under Southern Watch, before the move to Al Udeid, were awarded the GSM (Air Ops Iraq). Those at Al Udeid deserve recognition as service there was more arduous than Saudi.
Cyprus should be the same then. You can qualify for a UNCYP or a SHADER medal there, WSM should cover everyone else seeing as they're all at risk of sunburn and liver poisoning from too many brandy sours down the Aki Arms :E

[Wensleydale]

All those veterans who campaigned vigorously for one would not have agreed with you…

I am sure not, but the ethos is the ethos and there is no "double dipping". They finally received the appropriate clasp...now for one for Tobruk; el-Alamein; Market Garden; D-Day etc.