The families of thousands of Armed Forces personnel who have been killed on operations or died as a result of a terrorist attack since the Second World War are to receive a new military award.

Around 8,000 families will be eligible for a special silver Elizabeth Cross emblem and a memorial scroll signed by the Queen.

The decision to honour the next of kin of servicemen and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as previous wars including Korea, Malaysia, Kenya, the Falklands and Northern Ireland, was in recognition of the “lifetime grief” they had to endure, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said today.

In a broadcast to the Armed Forces on British Forces Radio (BFBS), which was recorded from Windsor Castle, the Queen said: “This seems to me a right and proper way of showing our enduring debt to those who are killed while actively protecting what is most dear to us all.”

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“The solemn dignity which we attach to the names of those who have fallen is deeply engrained in our national character,” she said.

It will be the first time that the name of a reigning monarch has been given to a new award since the George Cross was instituted in 1940 by King George VI, although it was emphasised that the Elizabeth Cross is not a medal but an emblem.

With deaths rising in Afghanistan, the Government has been under pressure to offer a special gesture to the families to honour the sacrifices which they have had to make.

Last year it was announced that the families would be presented with a memorial scroll, following a tradition that was honoured in both world wars and the Korean war. But after a long discussion between the service chiefs and Buckingham Palace it was decided that an additional honour was appropriate.

The emblem has a laurel wreath passing between the arms of the cross while the arms themselves bear floral symbols representing England (rose), Scotland (thistle), Ireland (shamrock) and Wales (daffodil).

The reverse of the cross bears the crowned cypher of the Queen which will also hold the engraved name of the deceased. Each family will be given one Elizabeth Cross which can be worn on any occasion and an additional pin-on miniature version. Both will be presented in a black leather box with the royal cypher on the lid and the royal coat of arms on the inner silk lining.

Air Chief Marshal Stirrup said the families could choose whether to be presented with the Elizabeth Cross at a formal ceremony attended by the Lord Lieutenant of their county, acting on behalf of the Queen, or privately.

Those eligible will include the families of service personnel killed in the Korean war of the 1950s, although they already have the memorial scroll.

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