Medals and Awards

Kabul to Kandahar Star

2010-04-01T08:06:00.001-07:00

Instituted 19th March 1881 and awarded to all who took part in General Roberts epic three hundred and ten mile march from Kabul to Kandahar, 3rd August to 31st August 1880.

Description; a bronze1 five pointed star, 62mm high by 48 mm wide. A crown is positioned between the upper points and a small ball between the others.

The Royal monogram VRI is at the centre, surrounded by a circlet bearing the inscription "KABUL TO KANDAHAR 1880".

The reverse has a central depression corresponding to the raised monogram area, and the reverse of the crown has a bracket like moulding to hold the suspension ring.

Naming: positioned around the central depression on the reverse - impressed in san serif capitals to British units. Indian units - engraved in capitals or script.2

Ribbon; 38 mm wide, with a graded rainbow pattern- red, white, yellow, white, blue.

Notes
1. The bronze used to manufacture the medal was from the guns taken from Ayub Khan at the battle of Kandahar.

1914 - 1920 Victory Medal

2010-04-01T07:52:00.001-07:00

Issued to commemorate the victory of the Allied Forces over the Central Powers.

Each of the Allied nations issued a ‘Victory Medal' to their own nationals with all of these having the figure of Victory on the obverse as a common feature. Australians were awarded the medal issued by Great Britain.

A member mentioned in despatches (MID) for service during World War 1 wears a bronze oak leaf on the Victory Medal ribbon. Only one emblem is worn no matter how many times a member may have been ‘mentioned'. When a ribbon alone is worn a slightly smaller oak leaf is worn as a ribbon emblem.

The Medal
The Victory Medal is bronze with a winged figure of Victory on the obverse. The reverse has the words ‘THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILISATION', all surrounded by a laurel wreath.

The Ribbon
The Victory Medal ribbon has a ‘two rainbow' design, with the violet from each rainbow on the outside edges moving through to a central red stripe where both rainbows meet.

Eligibility
The Victory Medal was awarded to prescribed classes of persons who entered a theatre of war on duty between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918.

1914 Star - AKA "The Mons Star"

2010-04-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

Authorized in April 1917 for award to those that served with the British and Indian Expeditionary Forces in France or Belgium on the establishment of a unit between 5th August 1914 and midnight on 22/23 November 1914.

Naval personnel who served ashore were included.

A bar was announced in 1919 for those who had actually came under fire between the appropriate dates.

Personnel entitled to a 1914 or 1914-15 Star would automatically qualify for the British War Medal 1914 - 1920, and the Victory Medal 1914 -1919.

Description: A bronze four pointed star design, 62mm high, 44.5 mm wide. Obverse; the upper point is replaced with a crown and solid fixed suspension ring. Two crossed short swords are positioned between the arms of the star and a scroll bearing AUG 1914 NOV passes around the centre of the swords. The central area is surrounded by an oak wealth bearing a GV monogram at 6 o'clock. Reverse: plain apart for the recipients details.

Ribbon: red white and blue, shaded and watered.
Naming: impressed in sans- serif capitals

British War Medal 1914 - 1920

2010-04-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

"The British War Medal 1914-1920, authorised in 1919, was awarded to eligible service personnel and civilians alike.

Qualification for the award varied slightly according to service. The basic requirement for army personnel and civilians was that they either entered a theatre of war, or rendered approved service overseas between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918. Service in Russia in 1919 and 1920 also qualified for the award."

Description:A silver medal with mount and ribbon. The obverse features a bare head of King George V facing left; around, GEORGIVS V BRITT: OMN: REX ET IND: IMP:; the artist's initials B.M. (Bertram MacKennal) are on the neck truncation.
The reverse depicts a naked figure of St. George on horseback advancing right trampling a shield bearing an eagle design and a scull and crossbone; above, the sun; in the background, the ocean; around, 1914 1918. The edge impressed in block capitals with the name of the soldier.

Dimensions: 36 mm (Diameter)

The Elizabeth Cross

2010-03-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

Queen Elizabeth II has unveiled a new medal to honor the families of British service personnel killed while serving their country.

The Elizabeth Cross may be given to family members of service personnel who have died since 1948.

The Elizabeth Cross will be given to the next of kin of armed forces personnel killed on operations or as a result of terrorism "as a mark of national recognition for their loss," the Defense Ministry said.

It is the first time the name of a reigning monarch has been given to a new award since the queen's father, King George VI, instituted the George Cross in 1940. That medal recognizes acts of bravery of both civilians and military personnel.

"This seems to me a right and proper way of showing our enduring debt to those who are killed while actively protecting what is most dear to us all," the queen said in a message to the armed forces. "The solemn dignity which we attach to the names of those who have fallen is deeply ingrained in our national character. As a people, we accord this ultimate sacrifice the highest honor and respect."

The Elizabeth Cross is a sterling silver emblem in the shape of a cross over a wreath. In the center is the queen's monogram, EIIR, which stands for Elizabeth II Regina, or Queen Elizabeth II.

At each of the four tips of the cross are floral symbols: a rose for England, a thistle for Scotland, a shamrock for Northern Ireland, and a daffodil for Wales.

The reverse of the cross will be engraved with the name of the person who died. The name will also be written on a scroll signed by the queen, to be given to family members along with the medal, the Defense Ministry said.

Military Medal

2008-11-16T00:42:00.000-08:00

Awarded for acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire

The Military Medal was (until 1993) a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land.

The medal was established on 25 March 1916.

It was the other ranks' equivalent to the Military Cross, which was awarded to commissioned officers and Warrant Officers (although WOs could also be awarded the MM), although it took precedence below that decoration as well as the Distinguished Conduct Medal, also awarded to non-commissioned members of the Army.

Recipients of the Military Medal are entitled to use the post-nominal letters "MM". In 1993, the Military Medal was discontinued, and since then the Military Cross has been awarded to personnel of all ranks.

Description
* A circular silver medal of 36 mm diameter. The obverse bears the effigy of the reigning monarch.
* 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 (0.125 inches each).
* Silver, laurelled bars are authorised for subsequent awards.

There have been over 135,000 people awarded the Military Medal.

Victoria Cross (VC).

2008-07-06T01:47:00.000-07:00

The premier award for gallantry, the VC may be awarded to all ranks of the services and civilians for gallantry in the presence of the enemy. It may be awarded posthumously.

Description: A cross pattée in bronze. The obverse of the medal (shown here) bears a lion statant gardant on the royal crown, with the words 'FOR VALOUR' on a semi-circular scroll. The reverse bears a circular panel inside which is engraved the date of the act for which the decoration was awarded. The reverse of the suspender is engraved with the rank, name and ship, regiment or squadron of the recipient. Clasp. A bronze bar ornamented with laurels may be issued to VC holders performing a further act of such bravery which would have merited award of the VC.

Ribbon. Plain crimson. Prior to 1918, a dark blue ribbon had been issued for the Royal Navy. When the ribbon alone is worn a replica of the cross in miniature is affixed to the centre of the ribbon.

History. Instituted by Queen Victoria to cover all actions since the outbreak of the Crimean War in 1854, the Victoria Cross has been awarded 1356 times and 3 bars have been awarded. The VC is made from the bronze of Russian guns captured at Sebastopol, though modern research suggests that Chinese guns may have been used at various times.

Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC).

2008-07-06T01:44:00.000-07:00

Awarded to all ranks of the RN, RM, Army, and RAF in recognition of acts of conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy.

Description: A cross pattée in silver mounted on a wreath of laurel leaves. The obverse of the medal (shown here) bears in the centre a circular medallion depicting St. Edward's crown. The reverse is plain in design and bears the rank, name and unit of the recipient. The date of the award is also engraved. Clasp. A silver bar may be issued to CGC holders performing a further act of such gallantry which would have merited award of the CGC, though none have been awarded to date.

Ribbon. White with narrow stripes of dark blue at each edge and a central stripe of crimson.

History. Instituted in 1993 as part of the review of gallantry awards, the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) replaced three previous awards: the Distinguished Service Order for gallantry (issued to officers), the Distinguished Conduct Medal (Army other ranks) and the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (RN other ranks). The CGC is at the level below the Victoria Cross.

George Medal (GM).

2008-07-06T01:42:00.000-07:00

Awarded to civilians for acts of great bravery, but not so outstanding as to merit consideration for the George Cross. The GM is also awarded to military personnel for those acts for which military honours would not normally granted, such as acts of great bravery not in presence of the enemy.

Description: Silver and circular in shape. The obverse of the medal (shown here) shows the crowned effigy of the current reigning monarch (although King George VI is shown here). The reverse bears the image of St. George on horseback slaying the Dragon, circumscribed by the words 'The George Medal'. Clasp. A silver bar decorated with laurel leaves may be issued to GM holders performing a further act of such bravery which would have merited award of the GM. When the ribbon alone is worn, a silver rosette denotes award of the Clasp.

Ribbon. Crimson with five narrow stripes of blue.

History. The George Medal was introduced at the same time as the George Cross when, during the summer of 1940 as Britain came under intense air attack, Winston Churchill thought that a new medal to recognise the many acts of gallantry being performed by civilians should be introduced. The King agreed and in January 1941 the Warrants relating to award of the GC, for outstanding gallantry, and the GM, for outstanding bravery, were published.

George Cross (GC).

2008-07-06T01:37:00.000-07:00

Awarded to the highest gallantry award for civilians, the GC is also awarded to military personnel for those acts for which military honours would not normally granted, such as acts of gallantry not in presence of the enemy.

Description: A plain, bordered cross in silver. The obverse of the medal (shown here) bears in the centre a circular medallion depicting St. George and the Dragon surrounded by the words 'FOR GALLANTRY'. In the angle of each limb of the cross is the Royal Cypher 'GVI'. The reverse is plain in design and bears the rank, name and service, or description, if appropriate, of the recipient. The date of notification of the award in the London Gazette, rather than the date of the act of gallantry, is also engraved. Clasp. A silver bar ornamented with laurels in the same design as the suspender may be issued to GC holders performing a further act of such bravery which would have merited award of the GC, though none have been awarded to date.

Ribbon. Dark blue. When the ribbon alone is worn a replica of the cross in miniature is affixed to the centre of the ribbon.

History. As Britain came under intense air attack during the summer of 1940, Winston Churchill thought that a new medal to recognise the many acts of gallantry being performed by civilians should be introduced. Although awards to recognise civilian gallantry not in presence of the enemy already existed, none held the prestige of the equivalent award for gallantry in battle, the Victoria Cross. The King agreed and in January 1941 the Warrant relating to award of the George Cross was published. To date, 157 GCs have been awarded directly, including four to women, with 47 of those awarded since 1947. The three most recent recipients of the GC have been Army personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Military Cross (MC).

2008-07-06T01:35:00.000-07:00

Awarded to all ranks of the RN, RM, Army, and RAF in recognition of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land.

Description: An ornamental cross in silver with straight arms terminating in broad finals ornamented with Imperial Crowns. At the centre on the cross is the Royal Cypher (King George VI shown here). The reverse of the cross is plain in design, though at certain times the year of the award has been engraved. Clasp. A silver bar ornamented by the Crown may be issued to MC holders performing a further act of such gallantry, which would have merited award of the MC.

Ribbon. A central stripe of deep purple flanked by equally sized stripes of white.

History. Instituted in 1914, the Military Cross (MC) was issued for gallantry in presence of the enemy to warrant and junior officers of the Army who were ineligible (on account of their rank) for the Distinguished Service Order. During the First World War, it was also available to equivalent ranks in the Royal Naval Division and Royal Marines and it later became available to equivalent ranks in the RAF for acts of gallantry on land. The equivalent award for the other ranks for gallantry on land in presence of the enemy was the Military Medal (MM) which had been instituted in 1916 and, similarly to the MC, later became available to RAF other ranks serving on the ground. Following the 1993 review, the MM was discontinued and the MC became available to all ranks of all services for exemplary gallantry on land in presence of the enemy. It is at a level below the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross and is at the equivalent level to the Distinguished Service Cross (for exemplary gallantry at sea) and the Distinguished Flying Cross (for exemplary gallantry in the air).

Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM).

2008-07-06T01:31:00.000-07:00

Awarded to civilians for acts of exemplary bravery, at a level below that of the George Medal. The QGM is also awarded to military personnel for those acts for which military honours would not normally be granted, such as acts of exemplary bravery not in presence of the enemy.

Description: Silver and circular in shape, the obverse of the medal shows the crowned effigy of the monarch. The reverse (shown here) bears the image of an imperial crown above the words 'The Queen's Gallantry Medal' flanked by laurel sprigs. Clasp. Silver bar decorated with laurel leaves may be issued to QGM holders performing a further act of such bravery, which would have merited award of the QGM. When the ribbon alone is worn, a silver rosette denotes award of the Clasp.

Ribbon. Blue with a central stripe of pearl grey bisected by a narrow stripe of rose pink.

History. The QGM was instituted in 1974 to recognise acts of gallantry of a slightly lower degree than that required for the George Cross and George Medal. Previously, these acts of bravery had been recognised by awards in the Order of the British Empire, with the choice of level in that Order being determined not by the degree of gallantry displayed, but by the rank or level of responsibility held by the individual. By 1974, it was recognised that ranks and levels of responsibility were not relevant when making awards for gallantry, so awards in the Order of the British Empire were discontinued on the introduction of the new Queen's Gallantry Medal.

Distinguished Service Order (DSO).

2008-07-06T01:29:00.000-07:00

After the 1993 review, the DSO ceased to be awarded for gallantry - replaced by the new all service, all ranks Conspicuous Gallantry Cross at the level below the VC.

Although theoretically available to all ranks, the DSO, now awarded for distinguished leadership during active operations against the enemy, is likely to be awarded only to the more senior officers ranks.

Description: A gold cross, with curved edges, overlaid in white enamel. The obverse of the medal has at the centre of the cross a raised laurel wreath, enamelled green, surrounding the Imperial Crown in gold, on a red enamelled background. The reverse has a similar raised centre with the laurel wreath surrounding the Royal Cypher 'VRI'. The suspender is decorated with laurel leaves, and a bar of the same design is positioned at the top of the ribbon. Clasp. A gold bar ornamented by the Crown may be issued to DSO holders performing a further act of such leadership, which would have merited award of the DSO.

Ribbon. Crimson flanked by narrow dark blue stripes at the edges.

History. The DSO was instituted originally to reward junior officers in the Army for distinguished service or acts of gallantry against the enemy. While the Order of the Bath had been available for senior officers and the Distinguished Conduct Medal for the other ranks, no award below the level of the Victoria Cross (VC) had existed for junior officers. The DSO was also made available to junior officers of the other services.

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).

2008-07-06T01:26:00.000-07:00

Awarded to all ranks of the RN, RM, Army, and RAF in recognition of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy in the air.

Description: A cross flory, in silver, the horizontal and base bars terminating in bombs, the upper bar in a rose. This cross is surmounted by another, composed of aeroplane propellers, charged in the centre with a roundel within a laurel leaf, from which two wings stretch across the horizontal bars. At the centre of the roundel is the RAF monogram surmounted by the Imperial Crown. The reverse of the cross has at its centre an encircled Royal Cypher above the year '1918'. Clasp. A silver bar ornamented by an eagle may be issued to DFC holders performing a further act of such valour which would have merited award of the DFC.

Ribbon. Alternate narrow diagonal stripes of white and deep purple.

History. Instituted in 1918, the DFC was issued for acts of valour while flying in operations against the enemy to warrant officers and officers of the Royal Air Force. It was later made available to equivalent ranks in the Royal Navy and Army for acts of valour in the air. Following the 1993 review, the DFM was discontinued and the DFC became available to all ranks of all services for exemplary gallantry in the air in presence of the enemy. It is at a level below the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross and is at the equivalent level to the Distinguished Service Cross (for exemplary gallantry at sea) and the Military Cross (for exemplary gallantry on land).

Order of the British Empire.

2008-06-19T01:38:00.000-07:00

Several orders (as shown in the table in the following section) consist of ranks.

These denote the seniority of the holder within the order. As an example, I shall explain the ranks within The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; often referred to as the Order of the British Empire.

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire was established by King George V in June 1917. The order consists of the ranks shown in the following table.

It should be noted that all these ranks denote different holders of the same order.

In December 1918, separate military and civilian divisions were created for the The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

The ranks and awards are identical between divisions, the difference being shown by the colour of the ribbon.

The Military Division was created to reward distinguished service in action by officers and senior NCOs.

GBE Knight or Dame Grand Cross
KBE or DBE Knight or Dame Commander
CBE Commander
OBE Officer
MBE Member

The GBE and the MBE are the highest and lowest ranks within this order respectively. For example, a CBE would denote a Commander in The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and an OBE would denote an Officer in The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; the CBE being the more senior or higher precedence of the CBE and OBE.

Entry into the order does not have to be at the lowest rank of Member, but membership can't be awarded posthumously. Also a recipient can be promoted within the order, if their future conduct is deemed appropriate of further recognition.

Recipients of the GBE, KBE and DBE would also have the prefix of "Sir" or "Dame" for men and ladies respectively. However, the name prefixes of "Sir" and "Dame" are not specific to this order and are also used in other orders.

Medals - Afghanistan(OSM)

2008-06-19T01:30:00.000-07:00

The Operational Service Medal (OSM) for Afghanistan (formerly known as the OSM for service on Op Veritas)

Medal

Silver and circular in shape. The obverse of the medal shows the crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth. The reverse (shown here) bears the Union Flag, surrounded by the inscription ‘For Operational Service’ and the four major points of the compass, with four Coronets: Royal (top left), Naval (top right), Mural-Army (bottom left), and Astral-Royal Air Force (bottom right).

Clasp

‘Afghanistan’. Awarded with the Medal for service specifically in Afghanistan. When the ribbon alone is worn, a silver rosette denotes award of the Clasp.

Ribbon

A broad central red stripe, flanked each side by a stripe of royal blue and one of light blue, to represent the three services, with an outer stripe of light brown to reflect the landscape of Afghanistan.

Qualifying criteria

Complex criteria govern the award of this medal, with varying lengths of service required depending on the operation and location.

To qualify for award of the Medal with Clasp, personnel must have served in Afghanistan for either 5, 21 or 30 days continuous service between various dates depending on the operation, between 11 September 2001 – 1 August 2002 for Ops Jacana and Bandog, or to a date to be decided for Ops Veritas, Fingal and Landman.

Service of varying lengths depending on the operation on Ops Landman, Veritas, Oracle, Ramson or Damien in other Middle East countries during certain specific dates will qualify for the OSM for Afghanistan without clasp.

Full details are laid out in DCI JS 126/03 and were amended in 2005DIN 01-008.

About the OSM

The new Operational Service Medal (OSM) was introduced on 1 January 2000 and at the same time the General Service Medal (GSM) was discontinued, with the exception of the award of the GSM for Northern Ireland.

Since its introduction, three OSMs have been issued: for service in Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although each OSM will look the same, separate ribbons will denote each separate award.

A Clasp may be awarded with the OSM to signify service in a more dangerous area or period of conflict.

Medal - Iraq (Operation Telic)

2008-06-19T01:20:00.000-07:00

The Ministry of Defence announced on 23 February 2004 the qualifying criteria for the campaign medal recognising service during Operation Telic.

The Iraq Medal marks service in, and in support of, operations in Iraq from 20 January 2003, and can be awarded to UK Armed Forces and civilian personnel, including embedded media, and certain foreign nationals assigned to the operation.

Service personnel and MOD civilians who died during their service in Kuwait or Iraq automatically qualify for posthumous award of the medal. Personnel who served on the operation between 19 March and 28 April 2003 may also qualify for a clasp, inscribed "19 MAR - 28 APR 2003" to be worn on the medal ribbon. The area of operations has been divided into Zone One (Iraq and Kuwait) and Zone Two (elsewhere in the Gulf region in support of the operation) for determining eligibility.

The qualifying periods of service are:

Campaign Medal with Clasp "19 MAR - 28 APR 2003":

* Zone One (Iraq and Kuwait)- 7 days continuous service during period 19 March 2003 to 28 April 2003
* Aircrew based outside but flying two or more sorties into Zone One during period 19 March 2003 to 28 April 2003

Campaign Medal without Clasp:

* Personnel in Zone One (Iraq) not completing 7 days service during period 19 March 2003 to 28 April 2003, but with 30 days continuous service between 20 January 2003 and 24 March 2003, or 30 days continuous service from 23 April 2003 to a date to be notified.
* Personnel in Zone One (Kuwait) not completing 7 days service during period 19 March 2003 to 28 April 2003, but with 30 days continuous service between 20 January 2003 and 24 March 2003, or 30 days continuous service from 23 April 2003 to 10 August 2003.
* Personnel with 30 days continuous service in Zone Two between 20 January 2003 and 28 April 2003.
* Aircrew based outside both Zones One and Two but with 30 sorties flown into the Zones at a rate of not more than one per day, during the period 20 January 2003 to 28 April 2003.
* Aircrew based outside of Iraq but flying 10 sorties into Iraq from 28 April 2003 to a date to be notifed, at a rate of not more than one per day.

The medal is made of cupro-nickel and bears on the obverse the crowned image of Her Majesty The Queen. The reverse shows an ancient Assyrian Lamussu sculpture above the word Iraq. The one-and-a-quarter inch wide ribbon is a sand colour with three central stripes of black, white and red.

Medals - The Gulf Medal

2008-06-19T00:58:00.000-07:00

The UK's Gulf Medal was awarded for service in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia during 1990-91.

The ribbon has a sand-coloured broad band flanked on either side by thin vertical stripes of dark blue, red and light blue. The sand colour represents the desert, and the blue, red and light blue represent the three services: Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force.

The medal's obverse (side worn outwards) consists of the crowned profile of Queen Elizabeth II. The reverse consists of an eagle and an automatic rifle superimposed on an anchor. The dates of the gulf war, 1990-91, appear at the foot.

The medal was issued with two clasps: 2 Aug 1990 and 16 Jan - 28 Feb 1991.

This medal was awarded to personnel who had thirty days continuous service in the Middle East (including Cyprus) between 2 August 1990 and 7 March 1991, or seven days between 16 January 1991 and 28 February 1991, or service with the Kuwait Liaison Team on 2 August 1990, the date of the Iraqi invasion.

Medals - General Service Medal 1962

2008-04-28T03:29:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-28T02:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-28T01:28:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-28T01:15:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

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