British war medals have been awarded for centuries and they are something that are still awarded today.
The highest British war medals are those of the Victoria Cross, or VC as it is known today. This particular war medal was first established in 1856 by Queen Victoria and it was awarded, and still can be awarded to any member of the British Empire or Commonwealth and allied Military personnel. The VC is awarded for acts of conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.
The George Cross (GC) and the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) are the next two highest British war medals that are still awarded today, with the CGC having only been established in 1993. On 1st July 2009 the newest British war medal was established, that of the Elizabeth Cross, and it was first awarded on the 18th August 2009. The Elizabeth Cross is a posthumous award that is awarded to the next of kin of any member of the British Armed Forces who was killed in action, or those that died of being wounded by military actions.
Some of the older British war medals that are still in circulation include The Military Cross, The Military Medal, The 1914 Star and The British War Medal of 1914-1920. There are also many British war medals from The Second World War as well. These include The 1939-1945 War Medal, The France And Germany Star, The Italy Star and The Burma Star.
There are still older versions of British war medals available including The Military General Service Medal which was issued between 1793 and 1814. The Baltic Medal from 1854-1855 was issued to Naval personnel who served during the Crimean War, as was The Crimea War Medal which was issued between 1854-1856.
British war medals are highly sought after pieces of memorabilia and should you wish to buy one at auction one would cost you a lot of money. If one of your relatives was active in The British Armed Forces you may well have one of these British war medals safely tucked away in your home, which is a wonderful piece of history that you will be able to hand down to future generations.
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