Relatives of nearly 8000 British military personnel killed on active duty or in terrorist attacks are to be honoured by the Queen with a new bravery award.

Relatives of nearly 8000 British military personnel killed on active duty or in terrorist attacks are to be honoured by the Queen with a new bravery award.

Her Majesty has given her personal backing to the Elizabeth Cross, which will be given to the next of kin of those killed since Second World War in various conflicts globally.

The medal is the first bearing a reigning monarch's name since her father, King George VI, began to issue the George Cross, from 1940, for exceptional bravery.

The Queen said yesterday that the medals would mark the country's "enduring debt to those who are killed while actively protecting what is most dear to us all".

Among those to receive the award will be the relatives of victims of conflicts in Palestine through to Northern Ireland, the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan Queen Elizabeth, who personally asked for the emblem to be named after her, told soldiers on the British Forces Broadcasting Service that the medal and accompanying scroll would give solemn dignity to the names of the fallen and their families.

She said: "I am pleased to be associated with such an initiative which is in keeping with a tradition during the First World War." Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said the silver emblems, which will carry the floral symbols of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, would be worn with immense pride by the families of those who had given their lives.

"They bear a burden of grief on behalf of the nation and it is our duty to express our gratitude in a tangible way," said Sir Jock.

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.

The reverse of the cross bears the crowned cypher of the Queen, which will also hold the engraved name of the deceased.

The Elizabeth Cross and scroll will be given to both regular Armed Forces personnel and reservists, as well as to members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary when deployed in direct support of a designated operation.

The move follows pressure to make a special gesture to the families to honour the sacrifice of their loved ones following the rising death toll in Afghanistan.

It was decided 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 in further discussion Buckingham Palace and the Ministry of Defence agreed to make the award.

The MoD said it will contact families of soldiers killed as far back as 2000, and that the relatives of those killed in earlier campaigns must contact the MoD for the honour.

The award covers campaigns in Palestine from September 1945 to the end of 1947, the Falklands and Northern Ireland conflicts, as well as wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and terrorist atrocities.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "It will be a very special and fitting tribute for the great debt we owe to those personnel, as well as for the enduring loss felt by their families."

Mr Brown also confirmed at Prime Minister's Questions that the red hackle of the Black Watch, which is now a battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, would be retained, following a question by Jim McGovern, MP for Dundee West.

Mr Brown said that it would be there for as long as the Army was in existence.

Families who wish to apply for the Elizabeth Cross can log onto www.mod.uk, or telephone 0800 085 3600.