British and Commonwealth personnel, as well as UK allies have, in the course of service with Airborne Forces been awarded a huge number of campaign medals.
The following provides a brief list of some of the most common awards. This list is not definitive, or intended to be in order of precedence, but indicate the campaign and service medals most commonly awarded to Airborne Forces personnel.
Generic World War Two Service Medals
These medals were designed to recognise national service in the war effort across civil society. These differ from Campaign Medals so whilst most recipients were services personnel, these medals could also be awarded to civilians in national defensive organisations such as the Home Guard, WAAF and Fire Service. These include the following:
Defence Medal 1939-1945 War MedalCampaign Medals
Campaign Medals usually refer to a period of service during a specifically identified campaign. These are usually termed geographically, and can either refer the country where the campaign occured or, in some cases, a more generic name for the wider region. Where the Second World War campaigns were often given separate campaign stars, after the war this was replaced by General Service Medal (to which clasps are attached) and more recently the Operational Service Medal for the same purpose. These include the following:
1939-1945 Star Atlantic Medal Burma Star Africa Star Italy Star France and Germany Star General Service Medal (also used pre-1939) South Atlantic Medal Gulf Medal Operational Service Medal Iraq MedalInternational campaign awards
From their inception in the Second World War to the present, Airborne Forces have always worked closely with UK allies over numerous campaigns. In the course of these duties several foriegn campaign awards have been made to Airborne Forces personnel. These include the following:
King Haakon VII Liberty Cross St Olav Medal NATO Medal with Former Yugoslavia Clasp The Repub of South Africa UNITAS Medal United Nations Medal, Cyprus United Nations Medal for the Former Yugoslavia United Nations Medal for KosovoGeneral Service Awards
In the course of their military service, many personnel have become eligible of official awards in recognition of their long service and active role in the Armed Forces at specific ceremonial times. These include:
Accumulated Service Medal Long Service and Good Conduct Medal Territorial (Efficiency) Decoration Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal 2002
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