All modern countries are familiar with the practice of governmental or royal awards to military personnel for distinguished action. Traditionally, these awards have been of an honorary rather than a material nature, in keeping with the concept that such actions are not assessable in money terms and cannot be rewarded in them.
Moreover in a number of countries analogous procedures have developed in the civilian sphere, whereby grateful governments reward those who have rendered some signal service of a political, economic, scientific, or artistic nature. Great Britain has long had such a system, though it is only since the beginning of this century that its scope has been extended to more than a small segment of society; now there are honorary awards for coal miners as well as cabinet ministers, conferred personally by the sovereign.