- Time Period: World War II
- Institution: 19 December 2012
- Country: Great Britain, Australia
The Arctic Star is a military campaign medal which was instituted by the United Kingdom on 19 December 2012 for award to subjects of the British Commonwealth for service in the Second World War, specifically on the Arctic Convoys north of the Arctic Circle.
The Arctic Star is a retrospective award and was approved by the Queen and announced in late 2012. The institution of this medal was the end result of a 16-year-long campaign by veterans who stressed that service in the arctic convoys north of the Arctic Circle was entirely different from that in the Atlantic, for which the Atlantic Star had been awarded. This is the first British medal to be instituted and awarded using a dead monarch’s cypher or effigy, who did not give permission for it to be instituted.
The Arctic Star Medal Design
The set of nine campaign stars was designed by the Royal Mint engravers. They are six–pointed stars, struck in yellow copper zinc alloy to fit into a 44 millimetres diameter circle. The obverse has a central design of the George VI Royal Cypher “GRI VI”, surmounted by a crown and with the inscription “THE ARCTIC STAR”. The reverse is plain and follows a no-engraving policy.
The medal was awarded unnamed, although some recipients chose to have their medals privately engraved. The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide, with a 3½ millimetres wide Air Force blue band, a 6 millimetres wide Navy blue band, a 4 millimetres wide red band and a ¼ millimetre wide black pinstripe band, repeated in reverse order and separated by a 4½ millimetres wide white band. The three colours represent the forces which were involved in the campaign, light blue for the Air Forces, dark blue for the Navy and red for the Merchant Navy, while the central white band, edged in black, represents the Arctic.
As many as 120,000 veterans or their next-of-kin are believed to be eligible for the Arctic Star.
The Arctic Star is therefore worn proceeded by the Atlantic Star and succeeded by the Air Crew Europe Star.
Find This Campaign Medal
More WW2 British Campaign Medals
During World War II (1939–1945) British campaign medals were awarded to members of the British Armed Forces and civilians for active service in specific military campaigns or operations. These included:
The Africa Star
The Africa Star is a military campaign medal awarded to those who served in the Second World War specifically in North Africa.
The 1939-1945 Star
The 1939–1945 Star is a military campaign medal instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for operational service overseas.
The France and Germany Star
The France and Germany Star is a military campaign medal awarded to subjects of the British Commonwealth who served during WW2.
The War Medal 1939-1945
The War Medal 1939–1945 is a British campaign medal instituted by the United Kingdom on 16 August 1945. The medal was awarded to subjects of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time.
The India Service Medal
The India Service Medal – 1939-1945 is a Commonwealth campaign medal awarded to Indian Forces for three years service in India in WW2.
