Medals - General Service Medal 1962

The General Service Medal was introduced in 1962 to replace the 1915 Naval General Service Medal and the 1918 General Service Medal. It was intended to reward service in situations that were worthy of commemoration but not of a sufficient scale to justify an individual campaign medal.

The ribbon is 1.25" wide and has a central stripe of deep purple with green stripes either side.

The obverse of the medal shows a crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with the legend "ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F: D:" The reverse has an Oak wreath enclosing a crown and the words "FOR CAMPAIGN SERVICE". It has a beaded and curved suspension, above which are mounted campaign clasps.

There have been a total of 13 clasps issued with this medal.

Borneo

Radfan

South Arabia

Malay Peninsula

South Vietnam

Northern Ireland

Dhofar

Lebanon

Gulf

Mine Clearance--Gulf of Suez

Kuwait

N. Iraq & S. Turkey

Air Operations Iraq.

The numbers of clasps issued, varies from around 70 for South Vietnam to well over a 100,000 for Northern Ireland. The medal is still in today. The General Service Medal 1962 counts towards the qualification period for the Accumulated Service Medal.

Medal - Falklands 1982

The medal was awarded to all branches of the British Armed Forces,Merchant Navy and civilians who were engaged in operations in the South Atlantic during the 1982 campaign.

Qualification for the award required at least 1 days' service in the Falklands or South Georgia, or 30 days elsewhere in the operational zone including Ascension Island.

There were 7,000 awarded to the Army, 13,000 to the Royal Navy and a further 3,700 to the Royal Marines. The Royal Fleet Auxilliary were awarded 2,000, the Royal Air Force 2,000 and the Merchant Navy and civilians another 2,000.

A rosette in the centre of the ribbon indicates service on the Falklands.

Commemorative Medal - Cold War 1945 -1991

The Cold War was the period of confrontation and tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies from 1945 to 1991. “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the continent” as quoted by Winston Churchill. About to begin was Britain’s most expensive and turbulent period of military history. The commemorative Cold War Medal is available to those who served during the Cold War 1945-1991, their next of kin or direct descendants.

The obverse of the medal comprises the flags of the three main players in the Cold War the Soviet Union being contained by the United States and the United Kingdom showing the dates 1945-1991. The reverse features the Russian Bear clutching a missile which is symbolic of the USSR stand-off, confronted by the Lion representing the forces of the United Kingdom and its allies. The Eagle of the United States completes the combined opposition to the Soviet Union at the time of the Cold War. The ribbon has a configuration similar to that commonly used on Soviet medal ribbons with the red white and blue on the left edge representing the allies and the bright red of the Soviet flag on the right.

Contact: Award Productions Ltd, PO Box 300, Shrewsbury, SY5 6WP. UK. - Telephone +44(0) 1952 510053 - Fax: +44(0) 1952 510765

Commemorative Medal - Territorial Army

The Territorial Army celebrates its 100th anniversary of its formation in 2008. The passing of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 combined the yeomanry and volunteers into the Territorial Force with the first units stood up on 1st April 1908 marking the birth of what we know today as the Territorial Army. From the Territorial Forces' mobilisation for the First and Second World Wars through to the conflicts and wars of today TA soldiers have been serving side by side with their Regular Army comrades.

The Commemorative Territorial Army Centennial Medal to be worn with pride, not alongside campaign medals or gallantry decorations, but separately and distinctively.

The full-size medal is available to all those who served and are serving in the TA or TAVR, their next of kin or direct descendants.

The obverse of this very distinctive antique bronzed oval medal proudly depicts the monogram TA with the year dates 1908-2008 in an oak wreath and the reverse features the Army crossed swords symbol with the inscription TERRITORIAL ARMY CENTENNIAL MEDAL. The medal ribbon is fitted to a ring suspension with its diagonal green and yellow stripes representing the TA and the blue stripe the period of 1967 -1979 when the TAVR (Territorial Army and Volunteer Reserve) units were formed.

Contact: Award Productions Ltd, PO Box 300, Shrewsbury, SY5 6WP. UK. - Telephone +44(0) 1952 510053 - Fax: +44(0) 1952 510765

Commemorative Medal - British Forces Germany 1945 to 1989

This medal has been commissioned and struck by Royal British Legion Industries to commemorate service with British Forces in Germany between 1945 and 1989 and is made available to all qualifying servicemen and women or their next of kin.

The 32mm ribbon has been designed to reflect our membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and our years of involvement in the Federal Republic. The German national colours rest between equal vertical bands of NATO blue. The individually engraved clasps to highlight the details of your Service e.g. Royal Navy are suitable for fitting to the full-size medal. Royal British Legion Industries is the beneficiary of this medal project.

Both the full-size and miniature medals will be engraved on the reverse with your number, rank, name and initials and branch of service or regiment.

Contact: Award Productions Ltd, PO Box 300, Shrewsbury, SY5 6WP. UK. - Telephone +44(0) 1952 510053 - Fax: +44(0) 1952 510765