British campaign medals are awarded to members of the British Armed Forces, Allied forces and civilians participating in specified military campaigns. Examples include the Defence Medal, for homeland defence in World War II, and the Atlantic Star for World War II sea service in the Atlantic.
19th century[]
Army Gold Cross (1810)- Army Gold Medal (1810)
- Waterloo Medal (1815)
Ghuznee Medal (1839)- Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul Medal (1842)
- Jellalabad Medals (1842)
- Medal for the Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie (1842)
- China War Medal (1842)
- Scinde Medal (1843)
- Gwalior Star (1843)
- Sutlej Medal (1846)
- Naval General Service Medal (1847)
- Military General Service Medal (1847)
- Punjab Medal (1849)
- Army of India Medal (1851)
- India General Service Medal (1854)
- South Africa Medal (1854)
- Crimean War Medal (1854)
- Baltic Medal (1856)
- Indian Mutiny Medal (1858)
- Second China War Medal (1861)
- New Zealand Medal (1869)
- Abyssinian War Medal (1869)
- Canada General Service Medal (1866–70)
- Ashantee Medal (1873–74)
- South Africa Medal (1877–79)
- Afghanistan Medal (1878–80)
- Kabul to Kandahar Star (1880)
- Egypt Medal 1882-89
- British South Africa Company Medal 1890-97
- East and West Africa Medal (1892)
- Central Africa Medal (1895)
- India Medal (1896)
- Ashanti Star (1896)
- Queen's Sudan Medal (1899)
- East and Central Africa Medal (1899)
- Queen's South Africa Medal (1899)
- Queen's Mediterranean Medal (1899) (for South Africa)
20th century[]
Pre World War I[]
- China War Medal (1900)
- Ashanti Medal (1901)
- King's South Africa Medal (1902)
- Africa General Service Medal (1902)
- Transport Medal (1902) (for South Africa or China)
- Tibet Medal (1905)
- India General Service Medal (1909)
World War I[]
During World War I (1914–1918) the following campaign medals were issued:
- 1914 Star
- 1914-15 Star
- British War Medal
- Victory Medal
- Territorial Force War Medal
- Mercantile Marine War Medal
The most frequent combinations are "trios" and "pairs". Trios are made up of one or other of the 1914 or 1914-15 Stars (they could not be awarded together), the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The three medals were sometimes irreverently referred to as "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred".[1][2] Pairs are generally for servicemen who joined the war after 1915, and are the British War Medal with the Victory Medal, colloquially known as the "Mutt and Jeff" pair. Occasionally one medal was issued, the British War Medal.
Merchant seaman were entitled to the Mercantile Marine Medal (issued by the Board of Trade) and usually the British War Medal as well. The Territorial Force War Medal was awarded to members of the Territorial Force and Territorial Force Nursing Services who served overseas; it is the rarest of the five Great War medals. The Memorial Plaque was issued to the next-of-kin of deceased service personnel.
Inter World War[]
World War II[]
During World War II (1939–1945) the following were issued (with authorised Clasp or Emblem (if awarded) in brackets) - the first ten are listed in the authorised Order of Wearing:
- 1939-1945 Star (Battle of Britain or Bomber Command)
- Atlantic Star (Air Crew Europe or France and Germany)
- Air Crew Europe Star (Atlantic or France and Germany)
- Arctic Star
- Africa Star (8th Army or 1st Army or North Africa 1942-43)
- Pacific Star (Burma)
- Burma Star (Pacific)
- Italy Star
- France and Germany Star (Atlantic)
- Defence Medal (Silver laurel leaves (King's Commendation for brave conduct. Civil))
- War Medal 1939–1945 (Oak leaf)
- India Service Medal
- Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
- Africa Service Medal
- Australia Service Medal
- New Zealand War Service Medal
- South African Medal for War Services
- Southern Rhodesia Medal for War Service
- Newfoundland Volunteer War Service Medal
Post World War[]
- Korea Medal (1951)
- General Service Medal (1962) Replaced 1918 General Service Medal
- Rhodesia Medal (1980)
- South Atlantic Medal (1982)
- Gulf Medal (1991)
- Accumulated Campaign Service Medal (1994-2011)
21st century[]
- Operational Service Medal (OSM) for Sierra Leone (2000)
- OSM for Afghanistan (2002–present)
- OSM for Democratic Republic of the Congo (2003)
- Iraq Medal (2004–2011)
- Iraq Reconstruction Service Medal (2004–Present)
- Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan) (2011–present)
- Accumulated Campaign Service Medal (2011–present) New version
See also[]
- Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom
- Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom
- Campaign medal
- Australian campaign medals
- Canadian campaign medals
- New Zealand campaign medals
References[]
- ↑ "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred". First World War.com. http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/pipsqueakwilfred.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ↑ "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred". The Long, Long Trail. Archived from the original on 2008-02-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20080227010804/http://www.1914-1918.net/pipsqueak.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- Mackay, J & Mussell, J.W. (2003) Medal Yearbook 2003. Token Publishing Ltd, UK.
External links[]
- Information on British Campaign and other British medals Descriptions, information on naming and pictures on different British medals.
- Campaign Medals Descriptions and pictures of British campaign medals.
- Search over 5 million campaign medal cards on The UK National Archives' website.
- Information and Pictures of WW1,WW2 & British Campaign Medals.
- Records of WW2 Medals issued to Merchant Seamen from The National Archives.
- "The King's Own Royal Regiment Museum, (Lancaster), British Campaign Medals". www.kingsownmuseum.plus.com. http://www.kingsownmuseum.plus.com/medals.htm.
The original article can be found at British campaign medals and the edit history here.