World War 1 Medals: British Campaign Medals, Stars & How to Trace Them
British World War 1 campaign medals can tell you where and when somebody served, and they are often one of the best starting points for tracing a serviceman through the 1914–1918 war. The medals most people encounter are the 1914 Star, 1914–15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, but there were other campaign awards and badges with different qualifying rules.
This guide explains the principal British campaign medals, the familiar ‘Pip, Squeak and Wilfred’ trio, what a medal index card can reveal, and where to continue your research.
World War 1 medals at a glance
| Medal | What it broadly recognised |
|---|---|
| 1914 Star | Service under fire in France and Belgium between 5 August and 22 November 1914. |
| 1914–15 Star | Qualifying service in a theatre of war during the earlier part of the conflict, for personnel not entitled to the 1914 Star. |
| British War Medal | Broad qualifying service overseas during the war, with service-specific rules. |
| Victory Medal | Qualifying service in a theatre of war; the British version of the Allied Victory Medal. |
| Territorial Force War Medal | A more restricted award for qualifying pre-war Territorial Force members who served overseas. |
The 1914 Star
The 1914 Star was created for the men and women who served in France and Belgium during the opening months of the war. The National Archives gives the qualifying period as 5 August to 22 November 1914. A later clasp was authorised for personnel who had actually served under fire within the qualifying dates.
The medal is strongly associated with the original British Expeditionary Force and the men later remembered as the ‘Old Contemptibles’.
The 1914–15 Star
The 1914–15 Star widened the early-war star entitlement. It covered qualifying service in France and Belgium from 23 November 1914 to 31 December 1915 and qualifying service in other operational theatres from 5 August 1914 to 31 December 1915. Someone already entitled to the 1914 Star did not also receive the 1914–15 Star.
The British War Medal
The British War Medal 1914–20 had much broader eligibility. The exact rules varied by service, but it became one of the most common medals in a First World War group. For an Army researcher, the important point is that the medal roll and medal index card can lead beyond the medal itself to a regiment, service number and sometimes a battalion or other unit.
The Victory Medal
The Victory Medal was awarded to qualifying military and civilian personnel who served in a theatre of war. Britain’s medal formed part of a wider Allied system of victory medals issued after the conflict.
For many British soldiers the Victory Medal appears alongside the British War Medal and either the 1914 Star or 1914–15 Star.
What were ‘Pip, Squeak and Wilfred’?
The nickname ‘Pip, Squeak and Wilfred’ was commonly given to the three-medal group consisting of a 1914 Star or 1914–15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The names came from popular newspaper cartoon characters of the period.
A two-medal British War Medal and Victory Medal pair is often referred to by collectors and family researchers as ‘Mutt and Jeff’.
The Territorial Force War Medal
The Territorial Force War Medal was much less common. The National Archives describes it as an award for qualifying members of the Territorial Forces who had joined before 30 September 1914 and served in a theatre of war during the conflict. The more restrictive rules make it especially useful when reconstructing a Territorial soldier’s service.
What about the Silver War Badge?
The Silver War Badge was a badge, not a campaign medal. It was issued to qualifying personnel discharged from military service, often because of wounds or sickness. Its rolls can still be valuable to family researchers because they may help explain why somebody left the service before the war ended.
How to trace a World War 1 medal
- Start with the name and service number. The number is often the fastest way to distinguish men with similar names.
- Search the medal index cards. The National Archives holds more than five million First World War medal index cards in series WO 372.
- Follow the medal-roll reference. Army campaign medal rolls in WO 329 can sometimes reveal the battalion, brigade or battery that is not shown on the index card.
- Use the unit to find the war diary. Once you know the correct unit, a war diary can place the serviceman inside the unit’s movements and operations.
- Check casualty, discharge and service records. Surviving service papers, casualty records and Silver War Badge rolls can fill gaps left by the medal card.
What information is on a medal index card?
A typical Army medal index card may record the person’s name, rank, regiment or corps, service number and campaign-medal entitlement. Some cards also give a theatre of war, date of entry, discharge information or other remarks. The card normally points to the relevant medal roll rather than providing a complete service history by itself.
Why medals are a useful doorway into the war
A medal group is not the whole story of a person’s service. It is a set of clues. The useful part comes from following those clues into unit records, war diaries and the wider campaign.
That is how we approach the First World War in Gallus Field Notes as well: the medal, regiment, date and place should lead back to the actual ground and the people who served there.
Continue the World War 1 archive
- World War 1 — Western Front campaign guide
- Battle of the Somme field guide
- Flanders poppies and remembrance
- World War 1 research hub
Sources & further research
- The National Archives — British military campaign and service medals
- The National Archives — British Army medal index cards 1914–1920
Featured image: 1914–15 Star, Victory Medal and British War Medal, photograph released into the public domain by Wikimedia Commons contributor Bjw3.
Explore the wider history
Once you have traced the person behind a medal, the next step is the campaign itself. Explore the Gallus World War 1 collection and connected Field Notes →
