The 1914/15 Star was a campaign medal of the British Empire, for service in World War one.

This Star is identical with the 1914 Star in every respect except that the centre scroll bears the dates “1914- 15” and the two small scrolls bearing “Aug” and “Nov” are omitted.

The 1914/15 Star was approved in 1918, for issue to officers and men of British Imperial Forces who saw service in any theatre of war against the Central Powers between 5th August, 1914, and 31st December, 1915, except those eligible of the 1914 Star.

Recipients of this medal also received the British War Medal and Victory Medal - it was never awarded singly. These three medals were sometimes irreverently referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred with Pip representing either this medal or the 1914 Star, only one of which could be awarded to a soldier; Squeak represented the British War Medal; and Wilfred represented the Victory Medal.

Description:

Materials: The majority of the British medals and clasps are made of solid silver, though some were issued in bronze versions, mainly to Indian non-combatants. The majority of the British campaign awards are circular, usually 36mm in diameter.

Ribbons: Medals are worn suspended from their own specific ribbons. These were first made of silk but cotton was increasingly used as the nineteenth century developed. Their own colours often have a symbolic significance: the equal stripes of the ‘1939 to 1945 Star,’ for example, are dark blue to represent the service of the Royal and Merchant Navies, red, to represent that of the Armies and light blue to represent that of Air Forces.

Ribbon width can vary slightly though it is generally 32mm wide.

Ribbon – 32mm wide. Reading from the left to right as seen on the wearer, the colours are red, white and blue shaded and watered. The Same as the 1914 Star.

1914 medal ribbon

Type – Campaign medal.

Established – December 1918

Eligibility – British and Imperial forces

Awarded for – Campaign Service.

Campaign – First World War 1914 -18

Total awarded – 2,366,00+

Ribbon – 32mm wide. Reading from the left to right as seen on the wearer, the colours are red, white and blue shaded and watered. The same as the 1914 Star.

Designer – Unknown

Suspension – The ribbon is threaded through a half-inch diameter ring, which passes through a loop fixed to the top of the piece. The ring will move forwards and backwards but not sideways.

Naming – The recipient’s number, rank, name and regiment are stamped in block capitals on the reverse in three lines.

Clasps - None issued.

Description – Bronze four-pointed star

The medal is a four pointed star of bright bronze, unsigned with a crown, with a height of 50mm, and a maximum width of 45mm. Obverse has two crossed glade (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.

This guide will help you through all the parts and descriptions of military medals

Sources:

Major L L Gordon ‘British Battles and Medals’

Some of the material on this page was also partially derived from

<en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ 1914-15_Star >

Which are released under the terms of

Creativecommons.org/licenses/by-s/3.0/.