Stephen Gilbert (St Austell and Newquay) (LD)
I beg to move,
That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to introduce a National Defence Medal; and for connected purposes.
This Sunday, like many right hon. and hon. Members, I was proud to represent my community at remembrance services in Newquay and St Austell. Remembrance Sunday is always a poignant and emotional day that brings together people from all backgrounds and unites communities across the generations. Our veterans, whether from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan or from the battlefields of world war two, are united in their heroism and bravery, and the rest of us are united in giving thanks for their courage and for the sacrifice that so many of them have made for us.
As we mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the great war this year and the 95th anniversary of Armistice day today, it is easy for us to think that all those who have put on a uniform in the service of our nation have been recognised for their service with the relevant medals. Sadly, that is not the case. Many thousands of people who have chosen to put our country before themselves have not been recognised for their service with a medal, because they have not seen conflict. It is my contention that individuals choose to put on a uniform and, in so doing, choose to put the country ahead of themselves. Individuals cannot, however, choose whether they see conflict, but that does not make their commitment to our country and their bravery any less worthy of recognition than those who do.
My Bill seeks to redress that injustice by requiring the Secretary of State for Defence to introduce a national defence medal to be awarded to all those who choose to put the defence of our nation before themselves, whether or not they see conflict. Let me be clear that the Bill is not intended to diminish in any way the medals for gallantry that have been given to those who have faced conflict; the intention is to recognise the bravery of all those who choose to put the country first.
Over the past 70 years since the Normandy landings, it has been clear that many thousands of veterans have believed, sadly, that the service that they have given to the nation has not been recognised properly. That is because many of those who were involved in national service, who were exposed to nuclear testing, who served with distinction in the cold war or in post-armistice Korea, or who served in many more times and places besides, have been turned down for recognition by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals under successive Governments. That is unfair because they have been involved in keeping the nation and its interests safe and secure, and because conditions can be particularly hazardous to service personnel who are deployed to areas after the formal ending of conflicts and wars, such as those who were involved in mine clearance after the Falklands war.
Inexplicably, successive Governments have been reluctant to acknowledge the inherent risk and rigour of daily service life, of the many situations outside those specifically designated as campaigns, and of keeping the nation and its interests safe and secure. However, every soldier, sailor, airman and marine has a story to tell. The national defence medal would be a means for the Government and the nation as a whole to express their appreciation and to recognise the professionalism, courage and contribution of all those who serve and who have served in the armed forces, whether or not they have seen conflict.
The cold war saw a formidable threat to this country and, indeed, to western society from the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw pact. There were real guns, a real enemy and a real threat involving nuclear weapons. The freedom and way of life that we experience today are due in no small part to the dedication and professionalism of those who served during the cold war era to deter an invasion and Soviet aggression. A recent Freedom of Information Act request identified 4,889 service personnel who died on duty between 1948 and 1959, and the Ministry of Defence has identified 833 servicemen and women who died on duty in north-west Europe during the cold war between 1960 and 1989. So far, successive Governments have failed to honour the achievement of those deployed during the cold war through medal recognition. British cold war veterans were disappointed at being excluded from the 2010 MOD medal review, and indeed from the later 2012 review. They are still actively pursuing medal recognition for the service that they gave to our country, and I think they are right.
Our approach stands in stark contrast to that of other Commonwealth Governments. Australia and New Zealand have declared how unique a profession the armed forces is, and how much is demanded of those who serve. In 2006 and 2010 respectively, the Governments of Australia and New Zealand established a defence medal and awarded it to those currently serving and those who have served in their armed forces. The MOD has said on many occasions that the United Kingdom Government do not have to follow other Commonwealth Governments on the institution of medals, but British veterans have often served alongside their Australian and New Zealand counterparts in the same locations, experiencing the same risks. They find it difficult to understand why the British Government, who express the same admiration and appreciation of our armed forces as the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, have been reluctant to recognise that with a national defence medal.
Why has the MOD, on behalf of successive Governments, continued to use the veterans identification lapel badge, together with irrelevant medal rules and principles, to deny appropriate medal recognition to those who have served in the UK armed forces? The professionalism, courage and contribution made by all those who serve and have served in the armed forces is held in the highest esteem by our nation, yet the Government have failed to deliver that medallic recognition in so many areas for a considerable time.
Today, and on Sunday, as a nation we promised that we will never forget the service and sacrifice of those who stand in defence of our nation. Let us hold fast to that promise. It is time we put things right for all those veterans who have not seen conflict but who have chosen to put their country ahead of themselves.
Bob Stewart (Beckenham) (Con)
I rise to oppose the Bill because medals mean something to those who have them. In the military they denote gallantry, operational duty, good service, or special occasions such as when Her Majesty the Queen grants a jubilee medal. For me, medals worn on the chest can rapidly sum up someone’s service. Medals mean a lot. I recall that Napoleon said, “Men will do much for a scrap of ribbon.” To the services, medals mean a lot, and the gaining of them is terribly important. Medals should not be granted for nothing, and for that reason I oppose the Bill, albeit with some reluctance.
A gallantry medal is self-explanatory, and anyone wearing one is looked on specially by his or her peers. My right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan) has a brace of operational service medals. Those mean that someone has put his or her life in harm’s way for our country. Good or long-service medals are rewards for a serviceman or woman who has spent a long time and done very good work in the services, and they are richly deserved. Finally, special occasion medals are different, because servicemen and women do not consider them in the same category as the others.
My hon. Friend the Member for Reigate (Crispin Blunt), who is sitting behind me, served for 12 distinguished years in the cavalry—
Bob Stewart
As he says, undistinguished by a medal. He has told me that he does not expect or want a medal; he thinks it wrong for him to have a medal for not having served operational duty in his time.
The soldiers, sailors and airmen of our armed forces wear a uniform and they are proud of that, but do we automatically put a medal on a uniform when we issue it? No. Members of the armed forces who I have talked to are unanimously against the idea of awarding a medal for nothing. That is the truth, and I oppose the national defence medal on those grounds.
I shall not call for a Division on this matter because my hon. Friend the Member for St Austell and Newquay (Stephen Gilbert) is a friend, and I understand his motives and wishes. It is Armistice day. However, I do want to register the fact that the national defence medal is not necessarily something that the armed forces or people who have served in them wish to have put on their chests without earning it.
Question put (Standing Order No. 23) and agreed to.
Ordered,
That Stephen Gilbert, Sir Menzies Campbell, Sir Bob Russell and Sir Nick Harvey present the Bill.
Stephen Gilbert accordingly presented the Bill.
Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 5 December, and to be printed (Bill 118).