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United Kingdom military campaign medal for service in the Second World War From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Burma Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in the Burma Campaign from 1941 to 1945, during the Second World War.[1][2]
| The Burma Star | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Military campaign medal |
| Awarded for | Service in operational area |
| Country |  United Kingdom, British India |
| Presented by | the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India |
| Eligibility | All Ranks |
| Campaign(s) | Burma 1941–1945 |
| Clasps | PACIFIC |
| Established | May 1945 |
  Ribbon bar without and with Pacific Clasp rosette | |
| Order of wear | |
| Next (higher) | Pacific Star |
| Next (lower) | Italy Star |
| Related | Pacific Star |
One clasp, Pacific, was instituted to be worn on the medal ribbon.[1][2]
On 8 July 1943, the 1939–43 Star (later named the 1939–1945 Star) and the Africa Star became the first two campaign stars instituted by the United Kingdom, and by May 1945 a total of eight stars and nine clasps had been established to acknowledge campaign service during the Second World War.[1] One more campaign star, the Arctic Star, and one more clasp, the Bomber Command Clasp, were belatedly added on 26 February 2013, more than sixty-seven years after the end of the war.[3][4][5]
Including the Arctic Star and the Bomber Command Clasp, no-one could be awarded more than six campaign stars, with five of the ten clasps denoting service that would have qualified for a second star. Only one clasp could be worn on any one campaign star. The maximum of six possible stars is the following:[3][5][1]
All recipients of campaign stars also received the War Medal.[14]
The Burma Campaign took place between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945, commencing with Japanese forces invading Burma and driving British forces back to the Indian border. Since the Japanese held superiority in the Pacific, the Allies were not in a position to strike back and regain a foothold in Burma until early in 1944. Total surrender of the Japanese came on 2 September 1945.[15]
The Burma Star was instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to those who had served in operations in the Burma Campaign from 11 December 1941 to 2 September 1945.[1][2][16]
The eligibility criteria for the award of the Burma Star were different for service at sea, on land and in the air.[1][2][16]
No recipient could receive both the Burma and the Pacific Stars. A clasp inscribed 'Pacific' was instituted to be worn on the Burma Star's ribbon by those who earned the Burma Star and who subsequently qualified for the Pacific Star.[17]
The award of a gallantry medal or Mention in Dispatches qualified the recipient for the award of the Burma Star, regardless of service duration. Those whose qualifying service period was terminated prematurely by their death or disability due to service were awarded this Star.[18]
The entitlement to wear the Burma Star, or the Burma Clasp on the ribbon of the Pacific Star, enables the recipient to join the Burma Star Association.[19]
Royal Navy and Merchant Navy personnel qualified through service in an area restricted to the Bay of Bengal and enclosed by a line running from the southernmost point of Ceylon for a distance of 300 miles south, then to a point 300 miles west of the southernmost point of Sumatra and continuing east to the western side of the Sunda Strait, including the Strait of Malacca. The six months service requirement for the award of the 1939-1945 Star had to be completed before service could begin to count towards qualification for the award of the Burma Star.[1][2]
Certain special conditions applied governing the award of the Burma Star to those Naval personnel who entered operational service less than six months before the end of the War. Those who entered operational service in the qualifying area on or after 7 March 1945 were awarded either the Burma Star or the Pacific Star by entry into operational service, the star awarded being the one appropriate to the last area in which service was rendered. In such cases, however, the 1939-45 Star could not be awarded for service of less than 180 days.[2][12][18]
Army and Navy personnel and Air Force ground crew serving ashore qualified through entry into operational service in Burma between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945.[1][2]
The medal was also awarded for service during certain specified periods in China, Hong Kong, India, Malaya and Sumatra, all dates inclusive:[16]
Service in China, Hong Kong, Malaya and Sumatra after 8 December 1941, but prior to the start dates listed above, was recognised by the award of the Pacific Star.[2][16]
Air crew engaged in operations against the enemy qualified, provided they had already earned the 1939–1945 Star and had completed at least one operational sortie over the appropriate sea or land area. Air crew on transport or ferrying duties qualified by at least three landings in any of the qualifying land areas.[1][2]
Army troops who took part in airborne operations in a qualifying area for land operations qualified.[2]
The set of nine campaign stars was designed by the Royal Mint engravers. The stars all have a ring suspender which passes through an eyelet formed above the uppermost point of the star. They are six–pointed stars, struck in yellow copper zinc alloy to fit into a 44 millimetres diameter circle, with a maximum width of 38 millimetres and 50 millimetres high from the bottom point of the star to the top of the eyelet.[18]
The obverse has a central design of the Royal Cypher "GRI VI", surmounted by a crown. A circlet, the top of which is covered by the crown, surrounds the cypher and is inscribed "THE BURMA STAR".[18]
The reverse is plain.
The British Honours Committee decided that Second World War campaign medals awarded to British forces would be issued unnamed,[17] a policy applied by all but three British Commonwealth countries. The recipient's details were impressed on the reverse of the stars awarded to Indians, South Africans and, after a campaign led by veteran organisations, to Australians.[20] In the case of South Africans and Australians, naming consisted of the recipient's force number, initials and surname in block capitals, with awards to Indians also showing the service arm or corps.[3][18][21][22]
The clasp, designed to be sewn onto the medal's ribbon, was struck in yellow copper zinc alloy and has a frame with an inside edge which resembles the perforated edge of a postage stamp. When medals are not worn, a silver rosette is worn on the ribbon bar to denote the award of the clasp.[1][3][18]
The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide, with a 3½ millimetre-wide navy blue band, a 4 millimetre-wide dark yellow band and a 3½ millimetre-wide navy blue band, repeated and separated by a 10 millimetre-wide Army red band. The dark blue bands represent British Naval forces, the red band represents the Commonwealth Armies and the dark yellow bands represent the sun.[1][15][18]
The ribbons for this medal and the Defence Medal as well as those of the other Second World War campaign stars, with the exception of the Arctic Star, were devised by King George VI.[1][23]
The order of wear of the Second World War campaign stars was determined by their respective campaign start dates and by the campaign's duration. This is the order worn, even when a recipient qualified for them in a different order. The Defence Medal and War Medal are worn after the stars.[24] The Canadian Volunteer Service Medal is worn after the Defence Medal and before the War Medal, with other Commonwealth war medals worn after the War Medal.[24]
The Burma Star is therefore worn as shown:[24]
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