Gulf Medal | |
---|---|
Type | Campaign medal |
Awarded for | Campaign service |
Description | Cupro-nickel disk, 36 mm diameter |
Presented by | United Kingdom |
Eligibility | British forces |
Campaign(s) | Kuwait and Saudi Arabia 1990–91 |
Clasps |
|
Established | 1992 |
Total | 61,000+ (including civilians) |
Ribbon bar: 32 mm wide Ribbon bar with rosette, denoting entitlement to clasp Ribbon bar with oak leaf for Mentioned in Dispatches |
The Gulf War Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1992, for issue to officers and men of British forces who served in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia during Operation Granby (the Liberation of Kuwait) in 1990–91.
The Gulf Medal is cupro-nickel and 36 millimetres (1.4 in) in diameter, with the following design:[1]
Two clasps were authorised for those who served in Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion, and for those who took part in operations to liberate Kuwait:[2][3]
In undress uniform, a rosette is worn on the medal ribbon to denote the award of either clasp.
There was no minimum qualifying period for those decorated for bravery (including a mention in dispatches and a Queen's Commendation), while the period could be reduced for those killed, wounded or taken prisoner.[4]
The breakdown of awards to the armed forces was as follows:[5]
Service | Medal only | Medal with clasp 2 Aug 1990 | Medal with clasp 16 Jan to 28 Feb 1991 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Royal Navy | 2,409 | Nil | 3,942 | 6,351 |
Royal Marines | 130 | Nil | 407 | 537 |
Army | 4,093 | 46 | 34,692 | 38,831 |
RAF | 5,673 | 20 | 8,275 | 13,968 |
Total | 12,305 | 66 | 47,316 | 59,687 |
About 1,500 civilians including American, Australian, British, Canadian and New Zealand members of British Aerospace working at Dhahran and Riyadh and Khamis Mushayt also received the medal with the clasp 16th Jan to 28th Feb.[1] Most were recently retired members of their respective country's armed forces.
Recipients of the Gulf Medal were also entitled to the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal and the Saudi Liberation of Kuwait Medal, awarded to all allied personnel involved in the liberation of Kuwait. British service personnel were granted permission to accept these, but not to wear them in uniform.[6]
Service in the Middle East after the liberation of Kuwait was recognised by the General Service Medal (1962) with clasps Kuwait (service in Kuwait between 8 March – 30 September 1991) and N. Iraq & S. Turkey (service in Northern Iraq or Southern Turkey between 6 April – 17 July 1991).[7]
British personnel could also qualify for the United Nations Medal for UNIKOM (United Nations Iraq–Kuwait Observation Mission), for a minimum of ninety days service between 1 April 1991 – 6 October 2003.[8]
Qualifying service for the Gulf Medal does not count towards the period required to receive the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal.[9]