§ Mr. Bryant Godman Irvineasked the Minister of State for Defence what monetary award is paid to soldiers of the 1914–18 war awarded the Military Medal and those of the 1939–45 war, respectively; and what are the reasons for the disparity.
§ Mr. BlakerNo special payment is made to soldiers of the 1914–18 war on account of the award of the Military Medal. Men who were awarded this medal after 2nd September 1939 received a one-time gratuity of £20. When the £20 gratuity payable to recipients of certain gallantry awards was extended in 1945 to recipients of some other awards, including the Military Medal, the Government of the day decided it would not backdate the extension to a date earlier than 3rd September 1939, for reasons of cost and because it would have been impracticable to trace all of the 116,000 people awarded the Medal in the 1914–18 War. Successive Governments have endorsed this decision.