Medal Group including Distinguished Conduct Medal and Military Medal 3400 Sergeant John Alexander SPENCE, 12 Battalion AIF and 52 Battalion AIF

First introduced by Queen Victoria in 1854, the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) recognises gallantry displayed in the field by Other Ranks, which includes Soldiers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers. As far as the Other Ranks go, the DCM is regarded as second only to the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry. The medal was struck in silver and is a disk, 36 millimetres in diameter and 3 millimetres thick. The suspender of all versions is of an ornamented scroll pattern. The manner of attachment of the suspender to the medal varied between medal versions and, on early versions, allows the medal to swivel.

The Military Medal (MM) is military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award was established in 1916, with retrospective application to 1914, and was awarded to other ranks for "acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire".
The Military Medal is a circular silver medal of 36 mm diameter. The obverse bears the effigy of the reigning monarch and an appropriate inscription. The reverse has the inscription "FOR BRAVERY IN THE FIELD" in four lines, surrounded by a laurel wreath, surmounted by the Royal Cypher and Imperial Crown. The suspender is of an ornate scroll type. The ribbon is dark blue, 1.25 inches wide with five equal centre stripes of white, red, white, red, and white, each 0.125 inches wide.