The Complete Guide to British Campaign Medals

Medals for Service

British campaign medals — the silver and bronze discs awarded for active service in specific wars and theatres — form the backbone of military medal collecting. From the first official campaign medal (the Waterloo Medal of 1816) to the modern Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan, campaign medals tell the story of Britain’s military engagements across two centuries. Each medal is named to its recipient, making every single one a traceable historical document that can unlock a soldier’s or sailor’s personal story.

The History of British Campaign Medals

Before Official Medals (Pre-1816)

Before the Waterloo Medal, campaign awards were sporadic and unofficial. The East India Company awarded medals for Indian campaigns from the 1770s. Officers might receive gold medals for major actions (the Army Gold Medal for the Peninsular War, for example). Some private medals were issued by commanding officers or regimental colonels. These pre-official medals are rare and valuable — Davison’s Nile Medal (1798), a private issue by Nelson’s prize agent, is a popular collecting piece (£400–£1,000).

The Waterloo Medal (1816)

The first campaign medal awarded to all ranks by the British government. Every soldier present at the battles of Ligny, Quatre Bras, and Waterloo (16–18 June 1815) received an identical silver medal — officers and privates the same. Critically, each was impressed with the recipient’s name, rank, and unit on the rim. This egalitarian principle — same medal to all ranks, individually named — became the foundation of the British campaign medal system.

The Campaign Medal System Develops (1843–1900)

The Military General Service Medal (MGSM, authorised 1847, backdated to 1793–1814) and the Naval General Service Medal (NGSM, 1847, backdated to 1793–1840) retrospectively honoured Napoleonic-era service with clasp bars for individual actions. These medals were only issued to survivors still living in 1847 — making them inherently scarce.

From the mid-19th century, a regular system emerged:

• Crimea Medal (1854): Awarded with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, and Sevastopol.
• Indian Mutiny Medal (1858): Clasps for Delhi, Lucknow, Defence of Lucknow, Relief of Lucknow, Central India.
• India General Service Medal (1854–1895): A multi-campaign medal with 24 clasps for frontier expeditions.
• Egypt Medal (1882–89): For the campaigns including Tel-el-Kebir and the Gordon Relief Expedition (Nile clasp).
• Queen’s South Africa Medal (1899–1902): The Boer War medal, with up to 26 clasps for different engagements.
• King’s South Africa Medal (1902): Paired with the QSA for continued Boer War service.

World War I (1914–1920)

The Great War produced the famous “Pip, Squeak, and Wilfred” trio:

• 1914 Star (or 1914–15 Star): A bronze star for those who served in a theatre of war in 1914 (or 1914–15).
• British War Medal: A silver medal for service between 1914 and 1920.
• Victory Medal: A bronze medal with the “winged Victory” design, awarded by all Allied nations.

The Territorial Force War Medal was awarded to those who were serving in the Territorial Force on 4 August 1914 and who served overseas. It is scarcer than the trio.

World War II (1939–1945)

WWII replaced the single-campaign medal with a system of eight campaign stars:

• 1939–45 Star: The basic operational service star.
• Atlantic Star: For the Battle of the Atlantic.
• Air Crew Europe Star: For Bomber and Fighter Command operations over Europe (the rarest star).
• Africa Star: For the North African campaigns.
• Pacific Star: For service against Japan in the Pacific.
• Burma Star: For the Burma campaign.
• Italy Star: For the Italian campaigns.
• France and Germany Star: For the D-Day campaign and the advance into Germany.

Plus the Defence Medal (for home defence and non-operational duties) and the War Medal 1939–45 (general service award).

A significant difference from WWI: WWII medals were not named as issued. Many recipients had them privately engraved later. This means unnamed WWII stars are genuine — but named ones with proper engraving or confirmed provenance are more valuable.

Post-1945 Campaign Medals

• General Service Medal 1918–62: With clasps for Palestine, Malaya, Korea, Canal Zone, Cyprus, etc.
• Korea Medal (1950–53): Named. British Korean War groups: £100–£300.
• General Service Medal 1962–2007: Clasps for Borneo, Radfan, South Arabia, Malay Peninsula, Northern Ireland.
• South Atlantic Medal (1982): The Falklands War medal — with rosette for those who served south of latitude 35°S.
• Gulf War Medal (1990–91):
• Operational Service Medal (2000–): Clasps for Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, etc.

Understanding Campaign Medals

Naming Conventions

How a medal is named is crucial to its value and authenticity:

• Impressed: The name is struck into the rim with individual letter punches (Waterloo to early Victorian).
• Engraved: Officially engraved in a running script or serif font (many Victorian and Edwardian medals).
• Machine-engraved: A more mechanical engraving style (late Victorian, Boer War).
• Slip-on naming: Details on a separate slip fitted to the rim (some WWII issues).
• Unnamed: WWII stars/medals issued without names (as supplied by the Royal Mint).

Clasps and Bars

Clasps (also called bars) attached to the ribbon indicate specific actions or periods of service. The number and combination of clasps dramatically affects value. Multi-clasp medals are generally more valuable than single-clasp examples, and certain rare clasps can multiply a medal’s worth tenfold.

Ribbons

Original ribbons are an important part of a medal’s provenance. Replacement ribbons reduce value slightly for collectors who prize originality, though many medals have had ribbons replaced through normal wear over a century of use.

Collecting Campaign Medals

Price Guide by Period

What Drives Value

• Unit: Medals to famous regiments (Guards, Paras, SAS, Gurkhas) command premiums over less glamorous corps and support units.
• Action: A medal confirmed to a specific major battle (via clasps, MIC records, or war diaries) is worth more than one for general theatre service.
• Casualties: Medals to soldiers killed in action, or wounded (confirmed by records), carry a solemn premium.
• Scarcity: Some clasp combinations are very rare — the Air Crew Europe Star, the 1914 Star with Mons clasp, the MGSM with Nile clasp.
• Gallantry connection: If the recipient also received a gallantry award (even if the gallantry medal itself is missing from the group), the group gains value.

Research

Every named campaign medal is a research gateway:

• Medal rolls: Held at The National Archives (WO 100 series for most pre-1914 medals, WO 329 for WWI). These list every medal issued.
• Medal Index Cards (MICs): Digitised on Ancestry for WWI — searchable by name and regiment.
• Service records: WO 97 (pre-1914), WO 364/363 (WWI), WO 400 series (post-WWI).
• War diaries: WO 95 (WWI), WO 169–179 (WWII) — to establish what the recipient’s unit was doing on specific dates.

Sources and References

[1] Joslin, E.C., Litherland, A.R., and Simpkin, B.T., British Battles and Medals (Spink, 7th edition) — the definitive reference for all British campaign medals.

[2] Williamson, H., The Collector and Researcher’s Guide to the Great War — essential for WWI medals.

[3] Fevyer, W.H., The Distinguished Service Medal 1914–1920 — for naval award research.