Defence Medal
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| Defence Medal | |
|---|---|
   Obverse (top left) and reverse (top right) of the medal. Ribbon: 32mm, two broad stripes of green superimposed by narrow stripes of black with a wide stripe of orange in the centre. |
|
| Awarded by United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | |
| Type | Campaign medal |
| Eligibility | British and Commonwealth forces. |
| Awarded for | Campaign service. |
| Campaign | Second World War 1939-45. |
| Description | Cupro-nickel or silver disk, 36mm diameter. |
| Clasps | None authorised. |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1945 |
The 1939-45 Defence Medal was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.
The Defence Medal was awarded for non-operational service either in the UK or overseas (e.g: India or South Africa). This type of service in the UK included those service personnel working in headquarters, on training bases and airfields, and members of the Home Guard serving between the dates of 14 May 1940 and 31 December 1944. To qualify for the medal, personnel had to have served either 180 days in the UK, 360 days non-operational overseas, or 180 days non-operational overseas in an area deemed to be closely threatened or subject to air attack.[1]
The obverse of the medal shows the uncrowned head of King George VI. The reverse bears the Royal Crown resting on an oak tree, flanked by two lions above the words 'The Defence Medal', with the date 1939 top left and 1945 top right.
The ribbon is flame coloured in the centre flanked by stripes of green to symbolise enemy attacks on Britain's green and pleasant land, with narrow black stripes to represent the black-out.
[edit] Clasps
None authorised.
[edit] Notes
[edit] Bibliography
- Mackay, J and Mussel, J (eds) - Medals Yearbook - 2006, (2005), Token Publishing.
- Joslin, Litherland, and Simpkin (eds), British Battles and Medals, (1988), Spink
