General Service Medal (1918)

General Service Medal (1918)
Obverse and reverse of the medal.
TypeCampaign medal
Awarded forCampaign service.
DescriptionSilver disc, 36 mm diameter.
Presented byUnited Kingdom
EligibilityBritish Army and Royal Air Force.
Campaign(s)Minor campaigns 1918–62.
Clasps18
Established19 January 1923
Ribbon: Purple with a central green stripe.

Ribbon with bronze oak leaf for a mention in dispatches (1920 onwards)
RelatedNaval General Service Medal (1915),
General Service Medal (1962)

The General Service Medal (1918 GSM) was instituted to recognise service in minor Army and Royal Air Force operations for which no separate medal was intended. Local forces, including police, qualified for many of the clasps, as could units of the Indian Army prior to 1947.[1]

The GSM was equivalent to the 1915 Naval General Service Medal. Both these medals were replaced by the General Service Medal in 1962.

  1. ^ Edward C. Joslin; Andrew R. Litherland; Lawrence L. Gordon; Brian T. Simpkin, eds. (1988). British Battles and Medals (5th ed.). London: Spink Son Ltd. pp. 238–243. ISBN 978-0-907605-25-6. OCLC 24502605.