Long Service and Good Conduct Medals and Gratuities - 1831-1880

Index
 
Long Service and Good Conduct Medals and Gratuities


Order in Council
24 August 1831

Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and Gratuity - 1831

As a further encouragement to good men to continue in the Service, and to behave with propriety, His Majesty (HM) has been pleased to command, that at the expiration of every 3 years any of HM ships shall be in Commission, the Captain or Commander of such ship may send to the Admiralty the name or names of any Petty Officer or Seaman or Non-commissioned Officer or Private of Marines, (not exceeding in number one for every hundred of the crew,) who may be on board such ship, having served above 21 years, who shall have behaved invariably well in such ship, and be in possession of such certificates of good conduct throughout his former service, and be in the Captain�s opinion in every respect deserving to be so rewarded ; when the person or persons so reported by the Captain or Commander shall be paid a gratuity, in addition to all other allowances, of 15 pounds if a First Class Petty Officer, or Sergeant of Marines, of 7 pounds if a Second Class Petty Officer, or Corporal of Marines, and of 5 pounds if an Able Seaman, or Private of Marines ; but to entitle the First Class Petty Officer, or Sergeant of Marines, to the 15 pounds, he must have served as such 10 years, and to entitle the Second Class Petty Officer, or Corporal of Marines, to 7 pounds, he must have served 7 years as such, otherwise they can only be paid as Able Seaman, or Private of Marines.

And all men receiving the gratuity will be afterwards entitled to wear a silver medal the size of a half-crown, at the third button hole of their jackets, having on one side of it the words "For Long Service and Good Conduct," and on the other "an Anchor and Crown."


Memorandum
Admiralty
11 March 1833

With reference to the 12th Article of the Regulations dated 24 Aug 1831, for granting out pensions from Greenwich Hospital, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty hereby give notice that His Majesty has been graciously pleased to direct by his order in council of the 6th instant, that the Captain or Commander of any of HM sea going ships shall be at liberty to recommend any Petty Officer or Seaman or Non-commissioned Officer or Private of Marines, for the Gratuity and Medal, on the ship he commands being paid-off, notwithstanding that such ship may not have been three years in Commission.

The other restrictions specified in the said article continue in force.

By Command of Their Lordships,

George Elliot.


Memorandum
Admiralty
21 August 1833

With reference to the 12th Article of H.M. Order in Council of 24 Aug 1831, authorising the Captains and Commanders of H.M. ships to recommend certain of the crew for gratuities and medals, under the limitations therein specified ; my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty are pleased to direct that, on a ship being ordered to be paid-off, the Captain or Commander of such ship shall immediately transmit to the Commander-on-Chief, for the purpose of being forwarded to their Lordships� secretary, a list containing the names of such men as they consider best entitled to the rewards in question, together with lists of the ships in which they have served, in order that the medals may be forwarded to the Captain or Commander of the ship ; and their Lordships further direct that the said medals be presented, by the Captain or Commander, to the men entitled to the same, in the presence of the whole ship�s company, the last thing prior to the ship being paid off.

By Command of Their Lordships,
George Elliot.


Order in Council
30th June, 1860.

Medals without Gratuities may be Awarded to Petty Officers, Seamen, and Marines.

Whereas we have had under our consideration the regulations under which medals and gratuities for long service and good conduct are granted to the Petty Officers and Seamen of Your Majesty's Fleet, and to the Non-commissioned Officers and Privates of the Royal Marines, and whereas we are humbly of opinion that it would be for the benefit of Your Majesty's Service, if, in addition to the medals and gratuities granted under existing regulations, medals without gratuities were granted under similar conditions, in the following proportions, viz.:

One for every hundred men of the crews of Your Majesty's Ships when paid off.

Three for each division of Royal Marines annually.

We beg leave most humbly to request that Your Majesty will be graciously pleased by your Order in Council to approve of the same.


Admiralty Circular No. 440
12th July 1860

Medals for Long Service and Good Conduct.

As an encouragement to exemplary conduct amongst the Petty Officers and Seamen, and Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates of Royal Marines of the Fleet, my Lords are pleased to direct, under the authority of Her Majesty's Order in Council of 30th June last, that in addition to the Medals and gratuities granted by existing regulations, Medals without gratuities shall in future be awarded, under similar conditions, in the following proportions, viz.:- One for every hundred men of the crews of HM Ships paid off ; three for each Division of Royal Marines annually.

By Command of their Lordships,
C. Paget,
To all Commanders-in-Chief, &c.


Long Service and Good Conduct Medals and Gratuities - 1875

Circular No. 78.-P.
Admiralty 16th December, 1874.

1. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having had under their consideration the Regulations for the Award of Long Service and Good Conduct Medals and Gratuities laid down in the following Circulars, viz :

No. 18, N. of 15th February,1970, Articles 5, 8, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11,
No. 4. P. of 13th February, 1872,
No. 15, P, of 10th March, 1873,

are pleased to direct that those Regulations be cancelled; and that the following rules are in future to be observed.

2. Recommendations for Medals and Gratuities are henceforth to be made entirely irrespective of the complements of Her Majesty's Ships, or the strength of the Divisions of Royal Marines and Coast Guard, It being the intention of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that there should not be any bar, except a man's own conduct, to his obtaining those distinguishing marks of their Lordships' approbation.

3. The word "Exemplary " is to be used for describing the character of men with reference to their being granted Medals and Gratuities.

4. This word is to be entered, in red ink, annually, on the 31st of December, and on discharge from Ships and Marine Quarters, by the Commanding Officers of Her Majesty's Ships and Vessels, and by the Commandants or Commanding Officers of Royal Marines on the Parchment Certificates of such men as have up to that time shown themselves deserving of the character.

5. A notation of "Exemplary" character having been awarded is to be made at the same time against the name of such men in the Service and Conduct Book, with a statement that they have fulfilled all the conditions required by this circular.

6. No man shall be considered entitled to the character of Exemplary unless he has borne the character of "Very Good" throughout the whole of his previous service, except that during the first five years of a man's time, one year of "Good" conduct may be allowed to reckon as "Very Good."

7. No man shall be considered entitled to the character of " Exemplary " if he has been, during the year for which the character is given in the Second Class for Conduct or has been imprisoned, or confined in cells, or has been deprived of a badge, or has been placed below the privileged class for leave.

8. Reduction to the Second Class for Conduct, or Imprisonment. during any portion of a man's time, shall render him absolutely ineligible for Medal or Gratuity.

9. In the event, however, of a man, who would be excluded under the above regulation having shown highly exemplary conduct in action, or otherwise, he may be recommended for special consideration.

10. Men who have for 10 consecutive years been given the character of "Exemplary" under these conditions may be recommended for Medals at any period of their service after the completion of such ten years.

11. A man to whom a Medal has been awarded will be liable to be deprived of it summarily by Warrant for subsequent misconduct, subject to the ultimate approval of the Commander-in-Chief, or Senior Officer of the Station, or Commandant or Commanding Officer of Royal Marines ; the deprivation to take place publicly, and to carry with it the forfeiture of any claim to Good Conduct Gratuity on discharge. The Medal to be returned to the Secretary of the Admiralty.

12. A man may be deprived of his Medal without being deprived of any Good Conduct Badge, but not vice versa.

Men who have for fifteen consecutive years been given the character of "Exemplary" under the foregoing condition may be recommended, on their discharge to Pension, for Gratuities in addition to their Medals.

The Scale for Gratuities shall be as follows:

Chief Petty Officers and Non-commissioned Officers of Royal Marines in Class I., having served as Chief and First Class Petty Officers, and as Staff-Sergeants and Sergeants of Royal Marines, for not less than ten years - �20

First Class Petty Officers, and Sergeants of Royal Marines in Classes IL, III, and IV. having served as such fur not less than ten years - �15

Second Class Petty Officers, and Corporals and Bombardiers of Royal Marines, having served as such for not less than seven years - �10

Leading Seamen, having served as such for not leer than fire years . �7

Able Seamen ; and Gunners, Privates, Musicians, and Buglers of Royal Marines ; and others not excluded by paragraph 14 - �5

14. Neither Medals nor Gratuities will in future be bestowed on Ordinary Seamen, Third Class Writers, Third Clam Signalmen, Second and Third Class Domestics, Ships' Stewards Assistants, Assistant Sick Berth Attendants, and boys of every description.

15. In oases where the man recommended may not have served the full period to entitle him to the Gratuity applicable to his rating, he shall receive such one of the lower rates, with reference to his combined service in several capacities as may, in the opinion of the Admiralty, be proper to award to him.

18. Lists of Men recommended for Medals and Gratuities are to be transmitted to the Admiralty, in the accompanying form, by the Commanders-in-Chief and Senior Officers at Home and Abroad, the Commandants of Royal Marines, and the Divisional Officers of Coast Guard, on the first day of the third month of each Quarter ; and as soon as their Lordships' approval has been received, the Medals and Gratuities are to be presented before the Ship's Company, by the Captain of the Ship ; and, in the case of Royal Marines by the Commandants on Parade. *

17. These Regulations are to come into operation on the 1st day of January, 1875, and are to apply to all persons of the ratings herein mentioned borne on the books of Her Majesty's Ships and Vessels ; and to the Coast Guard afloat and on Shore ; and to Royal Marines at Divisions as well as Embarked.

Temporary Provision

18. In the cases of men now !n the Service, time served before the 1st of January, 1875, with " Very Good " character, will be allowed to reckon as "Exemplary" for Medal, and Gratuity, provided their conduct has been such as to render them deserving of being considered "Exemplary" under paragraphs 6 and 7 of this Circular.

* Note.- Circular letter of 8th February, 1975. cancels the order for recommendations to be sent in quarterly only, awl directs (1) that men may be recommended for the awards as soon as they become eligible for them ; (2) that a Return is to be made from ships paying off of the names and addresses of any men who were recommended, from Foreign Stations, for Medals and Gratuities, but who had not received them up to the time of their arrival in England.

By Command of their Lordships,

Robert Hall.

To all Commanders-in-Chief. &c.


Good Conduct Medals and Gratuities

Fleet Circular No. 12.-C,
Admiralty 22nd April 1880.

  1. With reference to Articles 676 and 1,137 of the Queen's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions defining the qualifications for which the character of Exemplary should be awarded, my Lords have received various representations from Captains of Her Majesty's ships relative to the difficulty they experience in awarding this character, which by the present regulations is to be confined to men whose "conduct, smartness and general manner of deporting themselves and conducting their various duties have been such as to fully warrant their being held up as examples worthy of imitation."
  2. My Lords, having given the subject much careful consideration, do not see any sufficient reason for discontinuing the use of the word Exemplary for the purpose of describing the conduct of men who, in addition to having earned the character of Very Good, have so deported themselves as to be considered, both on account of their conduct and the manner in which they have performed their duties, as examples worthy of imitation.
  3. My Lords have, however, determined that for the future the grant of the Good Conduct Medal and Gratuity shall no longer be conditional on the award of the character of Exemplary, and that a continuous character of Very Good shall henceforth be considered as rendering a man eligible for Medal and Gratuity. The character of Very Good must therefore be awarded with greater care and discrimination than has often hitherto been the case.
  4. On a man being sentenced to punishment by Court Martial, or summarily awarded:-
    • Corporal Punishment.
    • Imprisonment; if by Civil Power see Article 30, Addenda 1880.
    • Disrating or reduction to a lower rating or rank.
    • Deprivation of Good Conduct Medal or Badge.
    • Confinement in Cells or
    • Reduction to below the Privilege Leave List,
    • his character will, under the accompanying regulations, be necessarily recorded below Very Good, and therefore the required continuity of Very Good for Medal or Gratuity purposes will always in such cases be broken.
  5. Ten years of continuous Very Good character will render a man eligible for a Medal, and fifteen years of continuous Very Good character for a Gratuity provided in each case he has been recommended for the last three years, subject to the provisions of the enclosed amended Articles 676, 723, and 1,137, of the Queen's Regulations, 1879.

  6. To entitle a Man to the Medal :
    1. (a.) He must have been recommended for it on his Certificate for three consecutive years ;
    2. (b.) He must be recommended for it by the Captain under whom he is serving, when he becomes eligible and has fulfilled the required conditions of service,
  7. To entitle a Man to the Gratuity;-
    1. (a.) He must have been awarded the Medal and have never forfeited it;
    2. (b.) He must have been recommended for it on his Certificate for three last consecutive years ;
    3. (c.) He must, subsequently to his receiving the medal and until pensioned, have always been awarded a character of "Very Good ' or " Exemplary ;"
    4. (d.) He must be recommended for it by the Captain under whom he is serving when his Pension Is applied for.
  8. In order to carry out this arrangement it will be necessary that the additional words "Medal recommended," or "Gratuity recommended" should be entered on the men's certificates accordingly, whenever the characters are required to be recorded on them ; the additional words are also to be noted in the Ledger and in the Service and Conduct Book.
  9. In noting recommendations for Medals and Gratuities on the Certificates, it is to be understood that the fact of men being eligible b previous notations on their certificates does not make it imperative for Captains to recommend them. Invariable Very Good Conduct and the satisfactory manner in which their duty is performed are to be the only guide.
  10. Exemplary will for Medal and Gratuity purposes be equivalent to Very Good.
  11. No change is made in the Regulations reserving to the Admiralty the right of dealing exceptionally with the cases men who have distinguished themselves in action or otherwise, or of men who have 15 years of continuous Very Good character.
  12. The changes indicated above are applicable to the Coast Guard and also to the Royal Marines Ashore and Afloat.
  13. The enclosed amended Articles 686, 723, and 1,137 are to be substituted for the present Articles which are so numbered in the Queen's Regulations, 1879, and which are to be considered as cancelled when these rules come into operation, as is also clause 9 of Article 699.
  14. Time served by men who, after completing time for pension, re-engage under the provisions of Article 18 of the Addenda, 1880, will reckon for the Medal and Gratuity, but the award of the Medal after the completion of such time will not count towards increase of Pension.
  15. Temporary Provision

  16. 15. Awards of character under the existing Regulations are to be made to the 30th June next, inclusive, and no character of Very Good awarded between 1st Jul 1878 and that date is to be considered as valid for Medal and Gratuity purposes
    By Command of their Lordships.
    Robert Hall To the respective Commanders-in-Chief, &c.

Good Conduct Medals and Gratuities - Seamen

  1. 676. Men holding any of the ratings specified in Column G. of Appendix VI., page 680, of the Queen's Regulations, 1879, may, under the following rules and until they are pensioned, be recommended, if of Very Good character, for the Good Conduct Medal and Gratuity, as also may Pensioners who return to the Service within five years of their being pensioned, but for the Medal only. The awards will be made irrespective of the complement, it being intended that nothing but a man's own misconduct shall be a bar to his obtaining these distinguishing marks of the approbation of the Admiralty, should he serve sufficiently long.
  2. If recommended by the Captain under whom he is serving at the time, 10 years of continuous Very Good character, under Art. 723 as amended, will entitle a man to the Medal, and if recommended by the Captain under whom he is serving when his pension is applied for, 15 years of continuous Very Good character will entitle him to a Gratuity, subject however, to all the following provisions, and provided the man had never been awarded a character below Very Good, except for a period not exceeding one year in his first five years of time reckoning for Pension.
  3. After a man has been awarded seven years of such continuous Very Good character as will under these Regulations count towards the Medal, the Captain will, if the man continues to be Very Good, and he considers him deserving thereof from his invariable Very Good Conduct and Exemplary manner of performing his duties, add to the character of Very Good given on his certificate, whenever he is required to record it, the words "Medal recommended," and after 12 years of such Very Good character, the Captain will in like manner add the words "Gratuity recommended."
  4. No man is entitled to the Medal unless
    1. he has been recommended for it on his certificate for three consecutive years,
    2. he is recommended for it by the Captain under whom he is serving when he becomes eligible.
  5. No man is entitled to a gratuity unless
    1. he has been awarded the medal and has never forfeited it,
    2. he has been recommended for the Gratuity for three consecutive years,
    3. he has been continuously awarded a character above Good since he received the Medal until he is pensioned,
    4. he is recommended for it by the Captain under whom he is serving when his pension is applied for.
  6. Exemplary is in all cases to be considered as equivalent to Very Good for Medal and Gratuity purposes.
  7. Whenever the Captain sees fit to withhold the required recommendations he will record fully his reasons in the Service and Conduct Book.
  8. Time only which reckons for Pension under Art. 2,006 is to be allowed for Medal, that is, from the age of 18 for continuous service men, and from the age of 20 for non-continuous service men, and the character given before attaining such ages respectively has no effect on a claim to Medal and Gratuity.
  9. A break in service caused by a man being invalided will not be considered as breaking the continuity of his Very Good character, or of recommendations for Medal or Gratuity, provided he rejoins as soon as the state of his health will admit and completes the required service.
  10. Desertion, reduction to the second class for conduct, imprisonment, or the award of character less than Good after attaining the age of 18 if a C.S. man or of 20, if a non C.S. man, shall render a man absolutely ineligible for Medal or Gratuity, except as provided for in clauses 11, 12, and 13.
  11. Imprisonment by the Civil lower shall not prejudice a man's claim to the Medal or Gratuity, unless it shall have been so directed by the Admiralty, if the man was serving at home at the time, or, if abroad, by the Commander-in-Chief.
  12. In order not entirely to exclude from the honour of a Medal a man who may have committed himself in the early years of his service reckoning for pension, but who may have since become a Very Good character, the Admiralty will consider (with reference to the grant of a Medal without Gratuity) the case of any man who can show 35 years of continuous Very Good character, notwithstanding anything he may have done, or any character which may have been awarded to him, except Bad or Indifferent, an his previous service.
  13. The Admiralty will also consider the case of any man who would be excluded under the foregoing Regulations, but who may be specially recommended on account of his having shown highly Exemplary conduct in action, or otherwise; but in such case no Gratuity will be awarded.
  14. The scale for Gratuities shall be as follows:-
  15. Chief Petty Officers, having served as Chief and First Class Petty Officers for not less than 10 years
    First Class Petty Officers, having served as such for not less than 10 years - �15
    Second Class Petty Officers, having served as such for not less than seven years - �10
    Leading Seamen, having served as such for not less than five years �7
    Able Seamen, and others �5.
    Gratuities will not be given to men who serve after being pensioned.
  16. In cases where the man recommended may not have served the full period to entitle him to the Gratuity applicable to his rating, he shall receive such tower rate, with reference to his combined service in several capacities, as may, in the opinion of the Admiralty, be proper to award to him.
  17. Lists of men recommended for Medals and Gratuities are to be transmitted to the Admiralty, in the form prescribed for the purpose, by the Commanders-in-Chief and Senior Officers at Home and Abroad, and the District Captains of Coast Guard, as soon as the men become eligible for them, and when the approval of the Admiralty has been received, the Medals and Gratuities are, when possible, to be presented before the Ship's Company by the Captain of the ship. A complete history of Badges, showing the dates of award, deprivation, and restoration, must be given on the copies of certificate sent into Office.
  18. If, pending the presentation of the Medal, the man's conduct has not been satisfactory, it is to be withheld, and the particulars of the case reported to the Admiralty.
  19. It must be distinctly understood that Medals are only granted on the condition that the recipients continue to serve for Long-Service Pension unless invalided; and that, in the event of a man who has been granted a Medal declining to go on serving to complete such time, he shall surrender the Medal on his discharge unless he has completed fifteen years of man's service, in which case he may retain it.
  20. If it is desired that men who have received Medals should also be given Gratuities, separate application must be made for the latter on the men being recommended for pension,
  21. In the case of a man who has joined from the army, the general character given to him on. his discharge will be taken as his character throughout the whole of his Army service, subject, however to the rules as to the rules as to 10 consecutive years of Very Good or Exemplary character.
  22. The Good Conduct Medal of a Petty Officer or Seaman which has been forfeited for misconduct may, with the sanction of the Admiralty, be restored on the completion of his time for pension, provided his character during the last five years of his service has been Very Good.
  23. In regard to men in the Service before the 1st of July 1876, previous Very Good character will be allowed to reckon for Medal and Gratuity provided their conduct had been such as to render them deserving thereof under the foregoing Regulations.
  24. Between the 1st of July 1876 and 30th June 1880 inclusive, Exemplary character only will reckon towards Medals and Gratuities and not Very Good.
  25. These Regulations apply to the Coast Guard Afloat and on Shore.

XVII. Certificates.- Ship's Company

  1. 723, A Parchment Certificate in the established form is to be prepared for every man and boy on first entry. Special inquiry is always to be made on a volunteer offering himself for entry, as to whether he had ever been in the Service; and if so, and he fails, to produce his Certificate, on no account is a fresh one to be prepared for him until application has been made to the Accountant-General on the established Form, and the Form, with the required particulars, returned to the Captain.
  2. On first entry the religious denomination of every man or boy is to be noted on his Parchment Certificate, and it is also to be recorded in the Service and Conduct Book of each ship in which he may serve ; in the event of any man of good character representing himself as having become a member of a religious denomination other than that under which he had been entered, and is anxious to have the record altered accordingly, the Captain may permit the change to be made.
  3. The Parchment Certificates are from time to time to be very carefully filled up and signed as required by Clause 7 and by the Form. When awarding the character of a man the Captain will take to his assistance the Executive Officer and the Officer of the man's division, or the Marine Officer, as the case may be, and fully consider all the entries against him in the Service and Conduct Book so that this duty, so important both to the man and to the Service, may be performed justly and with proper deliberation.
  4. Characters are to be recorded as
    1. Exemplary,
    2. Very good,
    3. Good,
    4. Fair, or passable,
    5. Indifferent,
    6. Bad.
  5. "Exemplary" is to be entirely exceptional, and is only to be awarded to men who have during the period, but without regard to their former history, so departed themselves as to be considered, both on account of their excellent conduct and the manner in which they have performed their duties, as examples worthy of imitation, and to be held up as a pattern to the Service.
  6. "Very food" must be awarded with great care and discrimination, and it is not to be given merely because a man has kept clear of the defaulters' book and escaped punishment. As it Is now to take the place of "Exemplary" for the award of Medals and Gratuities, the greatest care must be taken in apportioning the character.
  7. On a man being punished by sentence of Court-martial or summarily awarded:-
    1. Corporal punishment
    2. Imprisonment
    3. Disrating or reduction:
    4. Deprivation of Good Conduct Medal or Badge
    5. Reduction to the Second Class for Conduct
    6. Reduction to a lower class for leave than the privilege leave list; or if he commits any offence for which he was otherwise punished and which reduces his character below Very Good, his actual character since it was last recorded to the date of the offence for which he is punished was committed is to be recorded on his Certificate and in the Ledger and the Service and Conduct Book : for the intervening period to the date when the punishment took place or commenced his character is to be awarded as his offence may have deserved, but it is never to be above Good for that period, and from thenceforward his actual character is to be again recorded at the proper periods.
  8. Special mention is to be made of an any particularly meritorious conduct, both in the Certificate and in the Service and Conduct Book and Ledger.
  9. 9. The character of every man and boy is to be recorded upon his Certificate by the Captain in his own handwriting, with his initials, on the 31st December of each year, and under his signature on the final discharge of the man or boy from the ship, as well as on all other occasions when specially required. Whenever from the length of time the ship is in commission, or from other causes, the form requires it, a fresh line is to be commenced on the certificate, and the necessary additions made.
  10. The conduct of each man or boy borne as a Supernumerary for more than three months is to be noted in red ink on his certificate, but if so borne for less than three months his conduct is to be noted on the Transfer List, as a guide to the award of character on Certificate at the proper time.
  11. When men borne for less than three months are on passage, or when Supernumeraries are absent on leave, or for other valid causes, notations, such as Passage only and Time only, are to be made on their Certificate, when the character is not required to be recorded thereon, and if it follows Very Good or Exemplary, such time will be considered as Very Good or Exemplary accordingly, as the case may be, in the absence of any notation to the contrary, and recommendations for Medal or Gratuity will in like manner be regarded as continuous in such cases. The same principle will also apply in all other cases of men borne for tine only as to their previous character being regarded as continuous in the absence of notations to the contrary.
  12. In the event of a man misconducting himself while in hospital, a report is to be made by the Principal Medical Officer to the Captain of the ship or the Commandant of the division to which the man belongs.
  13. All time during which a Supernumerary is borne for passage home, if entitled to pay, is to be shown on his Certificate, as well as his character.
  14. The characters so recorded are, on these several occasions, to be read to the men by the Divisional or the Marine Officer, as the case may be.
  15. Should the Captain give up command at a broken period of the Commission, exceeding three months from the commencement of the year, he is invariably to fill up and initial the men's Certificates; if within the three months, he is only to fill up and initial the Certificates of the men whose characters have undergone a change since the last record on their Certificates.
  16. Whenever a Good Conduct Medal is awarded, suspended forfeited, or restored, or any Decoration or other Medal granted, or a Good Conduct Badge is awarded, or forfeited, the particulars are to be noted on the Certificate, as well as in the Ledger and Service and Conduct Book.
  17. The corner of the Certificate is only to be cut off on discharge and when the man's character has been so bad as to render his re-entry into the Navy undesirable ; whenever the corner is cut off the act is to be noted in the Ledger and in the Service and Conduct Book and a report is to be immediately made to the Commander-in-Chief in the form established for discharge with disgrace, which is to be adapted to the case.
  18. On no account is any erasure or any alteration relative to the past to be made on the Certificate except with the sanction of the Admiralty ; if any error is committed which requires immediate correction, the correction is to be made, without erasure, under the authority of the Captain, and attested by his signature.
  19. Certificates will be retained in the offices of the several ships in which the men may be borne or serving, until they are finally discharged the Service; but whenever a man may require it, he is, on application to the Officer of his Division, to be furnished with a copy from the Officer in the established Form.
  20. On the death or desertion of any person, a notation to that effect is to be made on the Certificate, which will be transmitted into Office with the Monthly Return.
  21. In all questions relative to a man's character the notations made upon his Parchment Certificate are to be considered as conclusive, unless the Certificate shall appear to have been tampered with; in such a case it would be the duty of the Captain, on noticing it, to report immediately the particulars to the Admiralty that reference might be made to the Service and Conduct Book, or to other Records in Office, to clear up the matter, and, on the result being communicated, the Captain will note it upon the Certificate and attest it with his signature, and also make notations to the same effect in the Service and Conduct Book.

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