Whereas by the Naval Agency and Distribution Act, 1864, it is provided that money distributable among the Officers and Crews of any of Our Ships of War in respect of Awards made in the several cases therein mentioned, so far as full provision respecting the distribution thereof is not made by or under any Act of Parliament other than that Act, shall be distributed under the direction of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in the shares in that behalf specified in any Royal Proclamation or Order in council

And whereas by the Naval Prize Act, 1918, it is provided that if We are pleased to signify Our intention to make a grant of Prize Money to Our Fleet out of the proceeds of Prizes captured in the present War, such Prize Money shall be of such amounts and payable to such members of Our Naval and Marine Forces and in such manner as We by Proclamation or Order in Council may determine :

And whereas We were pleased by Our Proclamation of the 15th August, 1918, to order and direct that the net produce of all such Prizes captured during the present War as shall be .declared, by the Tribunal appointed under the said Act to be Droits of the Crown, and of all other sums which under that Act shall be paid into the Naval Prize Fund, shall be for the entire benefit and encouragement of the Officers and Men of Our Naval and Marine Forces as defined in the above-mentioned Act, and shall be distributable in accordance with the said Act, and, further, that when the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty shall judge that there is a sufficient sum standing to the credit of the Naval Prize Fund to warrant it, a distribution shall be made in the shares and proportions and in the manner and in accordance with the Regulations We may hereafter announce by Our Royal Proclamation to such members of Our Naval and Marine Forces as may be qualified to share therein, or in case of their death to their representatives:

We do therefore now make known to all Our loving Subjects, and to all others whom it may concern, by this Our Proclamation, by and with the advice of Our Privy Council, that Our Royal Will and Pleasure is and We do hereby order and direct that the said distribution shall be made in the shares and proportions hereafter mentioned at such time .as tire Admiralty may determine to those members of Our Naval and Marine Forces as aforesaid who have during the present War performed

service at Sea in Our Ships and Vessels of War in accordance with the following Regulations or in case of their death to their representatives:

1. Service at sea shall be defined as having been borne for service at sea on the books of a seagoing Ship of War which goes to sea or on the books of a parent Ship for service in armed seagoing tenders.

2. Offensively Armed Auxiliary Vessels serving with Our Fleet shall be deemed Ships of War, including Armed Boarding Vessels, Trawlers, Drifters, and Vessels of the Auxiliary Patrol.

3. In any case of difficulty the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty are empowered to determine what Vessels or Classes of Vessels shall be regarded as Ships of War for the purposes of the distribution and what nature of service afloat shall be considered as sea service and harbour service respectively.

4. As regards Our Royal Naval Air Service, trained Pilots and Observers, the crews of Our Naval Airships and others who have had to fly continuously at sea shall, while borne on the books of one of Our Ships and attached to a Naval Air Station, be considered to have been performing service at sea, but no service at a Training Establishment or whilst employed on shore for service with Our Army or the Armies of any of Our Allies shall be so considered.

5. Participation at the full rate shall be allowed to each individual Officer and Man who. has performed service at sea as above defined for a period of not less than 30 months, between the 4th August, 1914, and 11th November, 1918, or such, later date as may be fixed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, to cover the cases of Officers and men taking part in subsequent hostilities at sea. For lesser periods the rate shall be proportionate to the number of months so served, one month to be the minimum period of service at sea to qualify for participation, and final broken periods of 15 days or more to count as one month, but no one who shall be qualified to participate in the distribution shall be allotted a less amount than �1.

6. The maximum rates which could have been earned to be allowed, irrespective of actual time served at sea, in all cases in which, before completion of the qualifying period, Officers and Men lose their lives in action or by other casualty whilst on service at sea, or either die, are invalided, or are certified as medically fit for shore service only, as a result of wounds or injuries so received.

7. A similar rate to be allowed in all cases in which Officers and Men die or are invalided on account of disease attributable to the Service, provided that at least ten months of the qualifying period has been served.

8. Prisoners of War captured under circumstances which cast no reflection on themselves, whilst serving afloat or disembarked from seagoing Ships of War for operations on shore, shall receive the maximum rate which could have been earned, irrespective of the time served at sea.

The cases of individuals interned in Neutral Countries shall be decided by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.

9. Each individual shall be allotted the number of shares, according to the scale appended, due to the rank or rating in which he has served at sea, and if in more than one the number due to the higher, provided that such rank or rating has been held during service at sea for at least six months (including paid acting time), and that any subsequent reduction or reversion has not been due to misconduct.

10. Commodores and other Officers serving as Chief of Staff or Captains of the Fleet shall share as if they were in command of a Squadron or Ship.

11. The, Officers in command of Motor Boats and Launches shall receive the shares of Officers of their rank not in command.

12. All persons temporarily employed in Our Naval Forces shall share in the classes to which the ranks or ratings to which they are temporarily appointed may belong or be deemed equivalent.

13. Supernumerary Officers and Men doing duty on Our Ships and Vessels of War shall share according to the ranks which they hold in the Service.

14. No person who has incurred forfeiture of Prize Money under the Naval Discipline Act, or who is discharged from the Service for misconduct, shall be entitled to share.

15. In the event of any difficulty arising with respect to any of these Regulations, or if any case should occur not herein provided for, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty shall be competent to issue such directions thereon as may appear just and expedient.

The distribution is to be made so that each Officer and Rating entitled to participate shall receive shares according to his class as set forth in the following scales - the relative ranks mentioned being those laid down in the Regulations and Instructions for the government of Our Naval Service, the Instructions for the government of the Coast Guard Service, and the Regulations for the government of the various classes of the. Reserve, or, if not so laid down, as determined by he Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty:

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