History

The Royal Red Cross Medal was established by Queen Victoria by Royal Warrant in 1883. It was later expanded into two classes in 1915 and remains a current decoration.

It is awarded to members of the Nursing Services of the Armed Forces in recognition of devotion, acts of bravery, and meritorious service. Originally, the Cross was only awarded to women, but it was extended to men in 1977. It may be awarded to the same recipient more than once, in which case a promotion is made from the II Class to I Class. In the case that a recipient of the I Class Cross is recognized a second time, a surmounting enamelled bar is added to the cross.

Recipients of the I Class Cross are known as Members, while recipients of the II Class Cross are known as Associates. They are entitled to use the post-nominal letters RRC and ARRC, respectively.

There are a number of different versions of the cross that differ according to the portrait of the Sovereign on the obverse medallion and the royal cypher of the Sovereign on the reverse medallion.