The National Health Services of the United Kingdom have been
awarded the George Cross by Her Majesty The Queen. The award
comes in recognition of 73 years of dedicated service, including
for the courageous efforts of healthcare workers across the
country battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
The George Cross - the highest civilian gallantry award,
equivalent to the Victoria Cross - has only been bestowed
collectively twice before, and today marks the second time it has
been awarded collectively by Queen Elizabeth II.
Prime Minister said:
“We wouldn’t be where we are today without our health services.
NHS staff have cared for us and our friends and family on the
frontline of a pandemic for over a year, and I have witnessed
their courage first-hand.
“Thanks to their devotion and duty our NHS has saved countless
lives, and the George Cross is a symbol of the nation’s
gratitude. I know the whole of the UK is behind me in paying
tribute and giving thanks for everything the NHS has done for us
not only in the last year, but since its inception.”
The George Cross was first bestowed collectively to the people of
Malta on 15 April 1942 by King George VI and was granted to the
Royal Ulster Constabulary (the fore-runner of the Police Service
of Northern Ireland) on 23 November 1999.
The George Cross is the UK's highest civilian gallantry award,
equivalent to the military Victoria Cross. It sits at the top of
the UK's honours system, jointly with the Victoria Cross. It is
given for acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous
courage in circumstances of extreme danger. The George Cross was
instituted in 1940.
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