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.
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 (1880) (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)
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)
Natal Native Rebellion Medal (1906)
India General Service Medal (1909)
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". 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.
General Service Medal (1918)
Naval General Service Medal (1915)
India General Service Medal (1936)
During World War II (1939–1945) the following were issued (with authorised Clasp or Emblem (if awarded) in brackets)—the first eleven 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)
Arctic Star
Air Crew Europe Star (Atlantic or France and Germany)
Africa Star (8th Army or 1st Army or North Africa 1942–43)
Pacific Star
Burma Star
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
Southern Rhodesia Medal for War Service
Newfoundland Volunteer War Service Medal
Korea Medal (1951)
General Service Medal (1962) (Replaced 1918 General Service Medal)
Rhodesia Medal (1980)
South Atlantic Medal (1982)
Gulf Medal (1991)
Operational Service Medal for Sierra Leone (2000)
Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan (2002–present)
Operational Service Medal for the Democratic Republic of Congo (2003)
Iraq Medal (2004–2011)
Iraq Reconstruction Service Medal (2004–2013)
Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan) (2011–present)
Ebola Medal for Service in West Africa (2014–2016)
General Service Medal (2008) (2016–present)
