ELIZABETH THE SECOND, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Our other Realms and Territories QUEEN, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to all to whom these Presents shall come;

Greeting!

Whereas We have taken into Our Royal consideration the great loss and sacrifice of the lives of both male and female persons whilst in the service or former service of Our Armed Forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (“Our Armed Forces”);

And Whereas we are desirous of according to the families of those who have lost their lives whilst in the service of Our Armed Forces national recognition of the great personal loss they have sustained;

We do by these presents for Us, Our Heirs and Successors institute and create a new form of recognition to mark nationally the great loss and sacrifice that the families of those in the service or former service of Our Armed Forces who have died on operations or otherwise as hereinafter provided have sustained;

Firstly: It is ordained that the new recognition shall be designated and styled “The Elizabeth Cross”;

Secondly: It is ordained that The Elizabeth Cross shall be of hallmarked silver and in the form of a cross with a laurel wreath passing between the arms. The arms of The Elizabeth Cross shall bear floral symbols of England (Rose), Scotland (Thistle), Ireland (Shamrock) and Wales (Daffodil). The centre of the cross shall bear the crowned cypher of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second. The reverse of the Cross shall be inscribed upon with the name of the person for whom it is in honour.

Thirdly: It is ordained that a Memorial Scroll shall accompany The Elizabeth Cross inscribed with the name of the person to be commemorated by the granting of The Elizabeth Cross.

Fourthly: It is ordained that the persons to be commemorated by the granting of The Elizabeth Cross shall be those who died in the service or former service of Our Armed Forces and who were serving members of the Regular and Reserve Armed Forces and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary when deployed in direct support of a designated operation. That such service should have been in the circumstances described below and that occurred on or after the first day of January one thousand nine hundred and forty-eight or in Palestine between the twenty-seventh day of September one thousand nine hundred and forty-five and the thirty-first day of December one thousand nine hundred and forty-seven.

Fifthly: The Elizabeth Cross will commemorate those who died whilst serving on a medal earning operation, such an operation shall be one in which deployed personnel received a Campaign Medal, General Service Medal or Operational Service Medal and such service shall include operations where a United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation or other international body or other nations’ campaign medal was accepted for wear in the absence of a United Kingdom medal or eligible personnel or who died on a non-medal earning operation where their death has been caused by the inherent risk of the task. Eligibility is also extended to those who died as a result of terrorism where the available evidence suggests that the person to be commemorated, whether on or off duty, was targeted because of their membership, or former membership of the Our Armed Forces. Eligible personnel who subsequently died prematurely as a result of illness or injury attributed to any of the foregoing qualifying circumstances will also be commemorated by The Elizabeth Cross;

Sixthly: It is ordained that the person eligible to receive The Elizabeth Cross shall be the recorded next of kin or the person determined to be so. And further that a person not so recorded as the next of kin may be eligible for a Memorial Scroll only, if they are:

• i a parent of the deceased person; or
• ii the spouse or partner of the deceased person or someone who had a substantive relationship with them.

ii the spouse or partner of the deceased person or someone who had a substantive relationship with them.

Seventhly: It is ordained that the grants shall be made only on a recommendation to Us by Our Secretary of State for Defence;

Eighthly: It is ordained that the grant of The Elizabeth Cross shall be accompanied by a miniature and either may be worn by the recipient at that person’s discretion;

Ninthly: It is ordained that the names of all those who have been commemorated by the grant of The Elizabeth Cross and the recipient thereof shall be recorded in a Register of such names which shall be maintained by the Secretary of State for Defence;

Tenthly: It is ordained that it shall be competent for Us, Our Heirs and Successors by an Order under Our Sign Manual and upon a recommendation to that effect by Our Secretary of State for Defence, to cancel and annul the grant of The Elizabeth Cross and that thereupon the name of such recipient shall be erased from the Register aforesaid, provided always that it shall also be competent for Us, Our Heirs and Successors to restore such forfeited grant upon such recommendation by Our Secretary of State for Defence;

Eleventhly: We reserve to Ourself, Our Heirs or Successors, full power of annulling, altering, abrogating, augmenting, interpreting, or dispensing with these rules and ordinances or any part thereof, by notification under Our Sign Manual.

Given at Our Court at Saint James’s

This First day of July 2009

In the Fifty-eighth Year of Our Reign

BY HER MAJESTY’S COMMAND

Bob Ainsworth

Major General Matthew Sykes

Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel)

& Defence Services Secretary

Ministry of Defence