To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of awarding the General Service Medal to military veterans who served in Aden during the early 1960s.
Answered on
3 July 2025
The award of the General Service Medal (GSM) for those who served in Aden during the early 1960s would be a matter for the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) to consider, rather than the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The AMSC is a sub-committee of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee) at the Cabinet Office which provides advice to The Sovereign on honours and medals.
The qualification period for the GSM for service in Aden has previously been considered by the Committee. It was decided that there would be no retrospective issue of the GSM for service between July 1960 and April 1964 as there was insufficient evidence to justify overturning the decisions made at the time. Whilst the MOD has no plans to review this case, this does nothing to lessen our appreciation of the professionalism, courage and contribution of all those who served in Aden.