1914 Star The 1914 Star (colloquially known as the Mons Star) was a British Empire campaign medal for service in WW1 The 1914 Star was approved in 1917, for issue to officers and men of British forces who served in France and Belguim between 5 August and midnight 22/23 November 1914. The former date is the day after Britain's declaration of war against the Central Powers, and the closing date marks the end of the first battle of Ypres The majority of recipients were officers and men of the pre-war British army, specifically the BEF (the Old Contemptibles), who landed in France soon after the outbreak of the War and who took part in the Retreat from Mons (hence the nickname 'Mons Star'). 365,622 were awarded in total. Recipients of this medal also received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. These three medals were sometimes irreverently referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred. A very similar medal, the 1914-15 Star, was also issued, but no person could receive both awards. Alfred Anderson was the last known living recipient of the medal. Description The medal is a four pointed star of bright bronze, ensigned with a crown, with a height of 50mm, and a maximum width of 45mm. The obverse has two crossed gladii (swords) with blades upwards and a wreath of oak leaves, with the Royal Cyher of King George V at foot and central 'S'-shaped scroll inscribed AUG 1914 NOV The reverse is plain and displays the recipient's number, rank, name and unit. The ribbon has the red white and blue colours of the French Tri-coloure, in shaded and watered stripes. Clasp 5th Aug.-22nd Nov. 1914 Often referred to as Clasp and Roses. Instituted in 1919 (Army Order Number 361 published 16 October 1919) and awarded to those who had operated within range of enemy mobile artillery during the above period. When the ribbon bar was worn alone, recipients of the clasp to the medal wore a small silver rosette on the ribbon bar Sniper
1914–15 Star The 1914-15 Star was a campaign medal of the British Empirefor service in WW1 The 1914-15 Star was approved in 1918, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of the War between 5 August 1914 and 31 December 1915 (other than those who had already qualified for the 1914-15 Star. Recipients of this medal also received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.Some 2,366,000 were issued, including: 283,500 to the Royal Navy and 71,150 to Canadians. Description The medal is a four pointed star of bright bronze, ensigned with a crown, with a height of 50mm, and a maximum width of 45mm. The obverse has two crossed gladius (swords) with blades upwards and a wreath of oak leaves, with the Royal Cypher of King George V at foot and an overlaying central scroll inscribed "1914-15". The reverse is plain with the recipient's number, rank and name The ribbon has the red white and blue colours of the Empire, in shaded and watered stripes. The same ribbon is used for the 1914 Star Sniper
British War Medal The British War Medal was a campaign medal of the British Empire for service in WW1 The medal was approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had rendered service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918. Officers and men of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and Dominion and Colonial naval forces (including reserves) were required to have completed 28 days mobilised service – the medal was automatically awarded in the event of death on active service before the completion of this period. The medal was later extended to cover the period 1919–20 and service in mine-clearing at sea as well as participation in operations in North and South Russia, the eastern Baltic, Siberia, the Black Sea, and the Caspian. Some 6,500,000 medals were awarded in total, of which 110,000 were bronze. These bronze medals were mostly issued to Chinese, Maltese, and Indians who served in Labour battalions. Description The medal is a circular silver (or, in rare cases, bronze design. The obverse shows a King George V bareheaded effigy, facing left, with the legend: GEORGIVS V BRITT : OMN : REX ET IND : IMP : (George 5th, King of all the Britains, and, Emperor of India) The reverse shows St George, naked, on horseback armed with a short sword (an allegory of the physical and mental strength which achieves victory over Prussianism). The horse tramples on the Prussian shield and the skull and cross-bones. Just off-centre, near the right upper rim, is the sun of Victory. The dates 1914 and 1918 appear in the left and right fields respectively. The ribbon has a wide central watered stripe of orange, flanked by two narrow white stripes, which are in turn flanked by two black pin-stripes, further flanked by two outer stripes of blue. The colours are not believed to have any particular significance. Sniper
Victory Medal (United Kingdom) The Victory Medal (also called the Allied Victory Medal) is a campaign medal - of which the basic design and ribbon was adopted by Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Union of South Africa and the USA. The medal was issued to all those who received the 1914 Star and 1914-1915 Star, and to most of those who were awarded the British War Medal- it was never awarded singly. These three medals were sometimes irreverently referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred. Number issued in the UK is 6,334,522 plus. Eligibility To qualify for the Victory medal one had to be mobilised in any service and have entered a theatre of war between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918. Women qualified for this and the earlier two medals, for service in nursing homes and other auxiliary forces. It was also awarded to members of the British Naval Mission to Russia, 1919 - 1920 and for mine clearance in the North Sea between 11 November 1918 and 30 November 1919. Description The Victory Medal is a 36mm diameter circular copper medal, lacquered in bronze. The obverse shows the winged, full-length, full-front, figure of Victory, with her left arm extended and holding a palm branch in her right hand. The reverse has the words ‘THE GREAT / WAR FOR / CIVILISATION / 1914-1919' in four lines, all surrounded by a laural wreath. The 39mm wide 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. Those personnel mentioned in despatches between 4 August 1914 and 10 August 1920 wear an oak leaf on the medal's ribbon. An International Award Not only did the United Kingdom issue a Victory Medal, but a significant number of allied and associated countries involved in the conflict against the Austro-German alliance. The proposition of such common award was first made by French marshal Ferdinand Foch who was supreme commander of the allied force during first world war. Each medal in bronze has the same diameter (36 mm) and ribbon (double rainbow) but with a national design representing a winged victory. Sniper
1914–15 Star The 1914-15 Star was a campaign medal of the British Empirefor service in WW1 The 1914-15 Star was approved in 1918, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of the War between 5 August 1914 and 31 December 1915 (other than those who had already qualified for the 1914-15 Star. Recipients of this medal also received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.Some 2,366,000 were issued, including: 283,500 to the Royal Navy and 71,150 to Canadians. Description The medal is a four pointed star of bright bronze, ensigned with a crown, with a height of 50mm, and a maximum width of 45mm. The obverse has two crossed gladius (swords) with blades upwards and a wreath of oak leaves, with the Royal Cypher of King George V at foot and an overlaying central scroll inscribed "1914-15". The reverse is plain with the recipient's number, rank and name The ribbon has the red white and blue colours of the Empire, in shaded and watered stripes. The same ribbon is used for the 1914 Star Sniper __________________ | TPD Wallpaper Rotator 2.0.0 | Leawo DVD to PSP Converter 3.3.0.0 | ArtistScope DRM 1.4 | Join (Merge, Combine) Multiple AVI Files Into One Software 7.0 | Fox CD Extractor 2.4.0
Croix de guerre The Croix de guerre, translation: Cross of War) is a military decoration of France and Belguim where it is also known as the Oorlogskruis [Dutch]. It was first created in 1915 in both countries and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during WW1 and WW2 , and in other conflicts. The Croix de guerre was also commonly bestowed on foreign military forces allied to France and Belgium. The Croix de guerre may either be bestowed as a unit award or to individuals who distinguish themselves by acts of heroism involving combat with enemy forces. The medal is also awarded to those who have been "mentioned in dispatches. ", meaning a heroic deed was performed meriting a citation from an individual's headquarters unit. The unit award of the Croix de guerre was issued to military commands who performed heroic deeds in combat and were subsequently recognized by headquarters. Appearance The Croix de guerre medal varies depending on which country is bestowing the award and for what conflict. Separate French medals exist for the First and Second World War, and the French medals are different in appearance from the Belgian design. For the unit decoration of the Croix de guerre, a fouragere is awarded which is suspended from the shoulder of an individual's uniform. Because the Croix de guerre is issued as several different medals, and as a unit decoration, situations typically arose where an individual was awarded the decoration several times, for different actions, and from different sources. Regulations also permitted the wearing of multiple Croix de guerre, meaning that such medals were differentiated in service records by specifying French Croix de guerre, Belgian Croix de guerre, French Croix de guerre (WWI), etc. The Croix was created by a law of April 2, 1915, proposed by French deputy Émile Briant. The Croix reinstated an older system of mentions in dispatches, which were only administrative honours with no medal. The sculptor Paul-André Bartholomé created the medal, a bronze cross with swords, showing the effigy of the republic. The French Croix represents a mention in dispatches awarded by a commanding officer, at least a regimental commander. Depending on the officer who issued the mention, the ribbon of the Croix is marked with extra pins. Mentioned in Despatches : a bronze star for those who had been mentioned at the regiment or brigade level. a silver star, for those who had been mentioned at the division level. a silver gilt star for those who had been mentioned at the corps level. a bronze palm for those who had been mentioned at the army level. a silver palm stands for five bronze ones. a silver gilt palm for those who had been mentioned at the Free French Forces level (World War II only). French Croix de guerre des TOE The French Croix de guerre des TOE was created in 1921 for wars fought in theatres of operation outside of France. It was awarded during Indochina War, Korean War, and other wars up to Kosovo War in 1999 When World War II broke out in 1939, a new Croix de guerre was created by Édouard Daladier. It was abolished by Vichy Government in 1941, which created a new Croix de guerre. In 1943 General Giraud in Algiers created another Croix de guerre. Both Vichy and Giraud Croix were abolished by General de Gaulle in 1944, who reinstated the 1939 Croix. The Croix de guerre takes precedence between the Ordre national du Mérite and the Croix de la Valeur Militaire, the World War I Croix being senior to the World War II one, itself senior to TOE Croix. French Croix de guerre
Belgian Croix de guerre or Oorlogskruis The Belgian Croix de guerre also included attachments, pinned into the ribbon, to designate the degree of citation: a bronze lion for those who had been cited at the regiment level a silver lion for those who had been cited at the brigade level a gold lion for those who had been cited at the division level a bronze palm for those who had been cited at the army level. A silver palm is used for five bronze ones and a gold one for five silver ones. The Croix de guerre or Oorlogskruis would be referred with the different type of attachment, such as the Croix de guerre avec palme et étoile (War Cross with palm and star) or the Croix de guerre avec palme et lion (War Cross with palm and lion). The multiple attached pins can also designate the number of Croix de guerre citations earned, but displayed with only one medal. Some soldiers earned more than ten or twenty Croix de guerre citations. The Croix can be awarded to military units, as a manifestation of a collective Mention in Despatches. It is then displayed on the unit's flag. A unit, usually a regiment or a battalion, is always mentioned at the army level. The Croix is then a Croix de guerre with palm. Other communities, such as cities or companies can be also awarded the Croix. When a unit is mentioned twice, it is awarded the fourragère of the Croix de guerre. This fourragère is worn by all men in the unit, but it can be worn on a personal basis: those permanently assigned to a unit, at the time of the mentions, were entitled to wear the fourragère for the remainder of service in the military. Temporary personnel, or those who had joined a unit after the actions which had been mentioned, were authorized to wear the award while a member of the unit but would surrender the decoration upon transfer. This temporary wearing of the fourragère only applied to the French version of the Croix de guerre.
The Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) 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 (MC), which was awarded to commissioned officers and rarely to Warrant Officers, although WOs could also be awarded the MM. The MM ranked below the MC and the Distinguished Conduct Medal, which was also awarded to non-commissioned members of the Army, in order of precedence. 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.
Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC is granted in recognition of "an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land to all members, of any rank in Our Armed Forces…". In 1979 the Queen approved a proposal that a number of awards, including the Military Cross, could in future be awarded posthumously. History The award was created in 1914 for commissioned officers of the substantive rank of Captain or below and for Warrant Officers. In 1931, the award was extended to Majors and also to members of the Royal Air Force for actions on the ground. Since the 1993 review of the honours system, as part of the drive to remove distinctions of rank in awards for bravery, the Military Medal, formerly the third-level decoration for other ranks, has been discontinued. The MC now serves as the third-level award for gallantry on land for all ranks of the British Armed Forces. Bars are awarded to the MC in recognition of the performance of further acts of gallantry meriting the award. Recipients are entitled to the postnominal letters MC. Description 46 mm max height, 44 mm max width Ornamental silver cross with straight arms terminating in broad finials decorated with imperial crowns, suspended from plain suspension bar. The Obverse has a Royal Cypher in centre; The reverse is plain, but from 1938 the name of the recipient and year of issue has been engraved on lower limb of cross. The ribbon width is 32 mm and consists of three equal vertical moire stripes of white, purple, and white.
Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) was (until 1993) an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries. The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean War, to recognise gallantry within the other ranks, for which it was equivalent of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) awarded for bravery to commissioned officers, but the DCM ranked well below the DCO in precedence. Although considered to be the army's second ranking gallantry award, the DCM was almost always seen as a "near miss for the VC".[citation needed] From 1942, members of the Navy and Air Force were entitled to the award. In the aftermath of the 1993 review of the honours system, as part of the drive to remove distinctions of rank in awards for bravery, the DCM was discontinued (along with the award of the DSO specifically for gallantry and of the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal). These three decorations were replaced by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, which now serves as the second level award for gallantry for all ranks across the whole armed forces. Bars were awarded to the DCM in recognition of the performance of further acts of gallantry meriting the award. Recipients are entitled to the post-nominal letters DCM. Description A silver medal 36 mm in diameter. The original obverse of this medal depicted a trophy of arms as seen on early Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medals. However in 1902 this was replaced by the effigy of the reigning monarch. The reverse on all issues bears the inscription 'FOR DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT IN THE FIELD'. The suspender is of an ornate scroll type. The ribbon is 32mm wide, with three equal parts crimson, dark blue, and crimson. Bars were authorised for subsequent awards originally bearing the date of the subsequent awards but changing to laurel wreaths in 1916.
Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. Instituted on 6 September 1886 by Queen Victoria in a Royal Warrant published in the London Gazette on 9 November,[3] the first DSOs awarded were dated 25 November 1886. It is typically awarded to officers ranked Major (or its equivalent) or higher, but the honour has sometimes been awarded to especially valorous junior officers. 8,981 DSOs were awarded during the First World War, each award being announced in the London Gazette. The order was established for rewarding individual instances of meritorious or distinguished service in war. It was a military order, until recently for officers only, and normally given for service under fire or under conditions equivalent to service in actual combat with the enemy, although it was awarded between 1914 and 1916 under circumstances which could not be regarded as under fire (often to staff officers, which caused resentment among front-line officers). After 1 January 1917, commanders in the field were instructed to recommend this award only for those serving under fire. Prior to 1943, the order could be given only to someone Mentioned in Despatches. The order is generally given to officers in command, above the rank of Captain. A number of more junior officers were awarded the DSO, and this was often regarded as an acknowledgement that the officer had only just missed out on the award of the Victoria Cross. In 1942 the award of the DSO was extended to officers of the Merchant Navy who had performed acts of gallantry while under enemy attack. Since 1993, its award has been restricted solely to distinguished service (i.e. leadership and command by any rank), with the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross being introduced as the second highest award for gallantry. It has, however, thus far only been awarded to senior officers as before. Recipients of the order are officially known as Companions of the Distinguished Service Order. They are entitled to use the post-nominal letters "DSO". 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. Description The medal signifying its award is a gold (silver-gilt) cross, enamelled white and edged in gold. In the centre, within a wreath of laurel, enamelled green, is the Imperial Crown in gold upon a red enamelled background. On the reverse is the Royal Cypher in gold upon a red enamelled ground, within a wreath of laurel, enamelled green. A ring at the top of the medal attaches to a ring at the bottom of a gold "suspension" bar, ornamented with laurel. At the top of the ribbon is a second gold bar ornamented with laurel. The red ribbon is 1.125 inches (2.86 cm) wide with narrow blue edges. The medals are issued unnamed but some recipients have had their names engraved on the reverse of the suspension bar. The bar for a second award is plain gold with an Imperial Crown in the centre. The back of the bar is engraved with the year of the award. A rosette is worn on the ribbon in undress uniform to signify the award of a bar.
