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Bernard
Rose's World War II medals
Left to
right: 1939-45 Star, France & Germany Star, Defence
Medal, War Medal
The
1939-45 Star was awarded for a minimum of 180 days
of operational service overseas during this period.
The dark blue band represents the Royal and Merchant
Navies, the red band represents the Army and the
light blue band represents the RAF.
The
France & Germany Star was awarded for a minimum of 1
day of operational service in France, Belgium,
Luxembourg, Holland or Germany during 1944-45. The
colours of the ribbon are thoes of the Union Flag,
as well as the flags of France and Holland.
The
Defence Medal was awarded for non-operational
service and the minimum criteria depended on where a
person was situated. Non-operational service
included people working at headquarters, training
bases, airfields or as members of the Home Guard
(1940-44 only). A minimum of 1080 days'
non-operational service in UK was required to
qualify for this medal, as opposed to 360 days'
non-operational service overseas (or 180 days in an
area at high risk of attack). The ribbon's orange
band on a green background represents enemy attacks
on England's "green and pleasant land". The thin
black stripes represent the blackout, which was in
force throughout the war.
The
War Medal was awarded for a minimum of 28 days'
full-time service during 1939-45, regardless of
location. The ribbon's colours are, again, in those
of the Union Flag.
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