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The British Empire Medal (formally British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to replace the original medal, which had been established in 1917 as part of the Order of the British Empire.
Award
The British Empire Medal, which may be awarded posthumously, is granted in recognition of meritorious civil or military service. Recipients are entitled to use the post-nominal letters "BEM".
The honour is divided into civil and military medals in a similar way to the Order of the British Empire itself. Like the ribbons used for other classes of the Order of the British Empire, the ribbon of the British Empire Medal is rose-pink with pearl-grey edges, with the addition of a pearl-grey central stripe for the military division. While recipients are not technically counted as members of the Order, these medals are nevertheless affiliated with it.
Between 1993 and 2012, the British Empire Medal was not awarded to subjects of the United Kingdom, although it continued to be awarded in some Commonwealth realms during that time. The practice of awarding the British Empire Medal to subjects of the United Kingdom was resumed in June 2012, to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, although only in the civil division.
There is a list of recipients on Wikipedia.
History
1917-22
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire was first established in 1917, along with the Order of the British Empire. The medal was part of the Order and could be awarded for either meritorious service or for gallantry. It was awarded to 2,015 people, 800 of whom were from foreign countries.
1922-40
In 1922, the original medal was discontinued and split into two separate honours, which still formed part of the Order of the British Empire. These two honours were known as the Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service (usually referred to as British Empire Medal, BEM) and the Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry (usually referred to as Empire Gallantry Medal, EGM). Of these medals, the EGM was awarded for acts of bravery, until it was replaced by the George Cross in 1940. The BEM was awarded in similar circumstances as the lower classes of the Order of the British Empire, but usually to people below management or professional level. In the uniformed services, it was awarded to non-commissioned officers of the armed forces, officers below superintendent rank in the police, and personnel below divisional officer level in the fire services.
1940-92
On 24 September 1940, the George Cross was established and the EGM was revoked by Royal Warrant the same day. All living recipients and the next-of-kin of recipients who had been posthumously awarded the EGM after 3 September 1939, the start of the Second World War, were obliged to exchange it for the George Cross. Recipients of the BEM were not affected by these changes.
However, also starting in 1940, the statutes of the BEM were amended so that it could again be awarded for acts of gallantry, but now for such acts of bravery, not in the face of the enemy, which were below the level required for the George Medal. This was done so that the BEM for bravery would honour the same classes of people who were awarded the BEM for other services. More senior recipients would generally receive an appointment to the Order of the British Empire itself.
From 14 January 1958, awards of the BEM made for acts of bravery were formally designated the British Empire Medal for Gallantry and consisted of the BEM with a silver oak leaf emblem worn on the ribbon. Unlike the GC and GM, the BEM for Gallantry could not be awarded posthumously and was eventually replaced in 1974 with the Queen's Gallantry Medal. Again, recipients of the BEM for services other than acts of bravery were not affected by these changes.
1992-2012
The BEM continued to be awarded to subjects of the United Kingdom until 1992. Those awarded the honour, did not receive it from the monarch but from the Lord Lieutenant of their county or a local authority. After the 1993 review of the British honours system, the government decided that the distinction between the BEM and MBE had "become increasingly tenuous" and Prime Minister John Major expressed a view that he wanted more local people to receive their awards from the Queen herself.
While awards of the BEM therefore ceased to be made to subjects of the United Kingdom, the medal continued to be awarded in the Commonwealth realms, such as the Bahamas and the Cook Islands.
From 2012
Following the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the BEM would once again be awarded in the United Kingdom, although only in the civil division. This would start beginning in 2012, to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. In the 2012 Birthday Honours, released on 16 June 2012, the BEM was awarded to 293 people.
Finding British Empire Medal Awards Information
One can search online for awards of the British Empire Medal free of charge in the "London Gazette".
The London Gazette publishes official confirmation of awards of the British Empire Medal as well as other honours.
On the home page, search in the "Search the Archives" box with the words British Empire Medal followed by the name of your ancestor or relative: For example: British Empire Medal Lax
For military awards, this will show the Military number of the person who was awarded the British Empire Medal, and their regiment.
One can usually obtain free of charge the official recommendation for the Award from The National Archives, which will summarise the main reasons for the award, which will tell you about the work and achievements of your ancestor or relative.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
One can download copies of recommendations free of charge from the National Archives, if one agrees to their terms as to Fair and Reasonable Use and the use of Digital Copies of documents. In particular, records downloaded may be used for your personal "private study or research for a non-commercial purpose" and education purposes.
Military records of those awarded the British Empire Medal (Military)
One can use the Military Number in the London Gazette and National Archives to obtain a copy of military records of service for a deceased service person.
Military records of deceased relatives can often be obtained free of charge from the National Archives or Ministry of Defence
https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-records-of-service/apply-for-t...
... or from subscription services such as https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/ which is part of Ancestry or Fold3 https://www.fold3.com/go/about
Each record of service may include:
first name and surname
service number
rank and regiment or corps
place and date of birth
date they joined and left the armed forces
date of death, if they died in service
good conduct medals
details about their career, for example, the units they served in
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Adding profiles to the British Empire Medal project
To add a profile to this British Empire Medal project, for someone who was awarded the British Empire Medal, click on the box "Actions" in the top right hand corner of this page. Then click on the heading "Add Profiles" and type in the name of the person. This can be done for profiles which you manage and where the profile is public - in particular for deceased relatives.