[klambie]

Others may have a more precise description (I am not an expert), but here's some info based on my research. The Commander in Chief's Certificate (CCC) was a signed certificate from the Commander in Chief of 21st Army Group, Field Marshal Montgomery. I do not believe it was considered an official award, but was a way of acknowledging important service. There was no ribbon or other device worn on the uniform to indicate this honour. As the Commonwealth Armies were rather stingy with decorations, this provided another means of recognizing some men. While not applicable in this case, it was also one of the few awards that could be made posthumously (the Victoria Cross and the Mention in Dispatches being the others), so was sometimes used to recognize those who were not eligible for anything else.

They were not terribly common, awarded to an infantry battalion of about one thousand men on the order of a few (2-4) per month while in combat. A larger batch (10 for an inf. battalion) were also submitted by all units at the end of the war, covering the entire period of 6 June 44 to 8 May 45. Not all of those nominated in this group would have received the CCC. By the date of his award, I would speculate that your father's CCC might have come in this batch at the end of the fighting in Europe. Numbers were presumably fewer for a Field Regiment.

They could be awarded for Gallantry or for Outstanding Good Service. Citiations were not required, so there were often no supporting writeups for these. An exception would be in cases where a man was cited for another award that was turned down for some reason. The Archives can occasionally turn up these recommendations and you can make the connection to the CCC awarded instead.