History

The War Medal 1939-45 was instituted by King Georgi VI on August 16, 1945. The Silver Medal was awarded to all personnel of British and Commonwealth forces, along with some civilian units, in recognition of 28 days of either operational or non-operational full-time service between September 3, 1939, and September 2, 1945. To be eligible for the Silver Medal, members of the Merchant Navy must have provided 28 days of service at sea. Operational service curtailed by death or disability while on duty also qualified for the award.

A bronze Oak leaf was worn by recipients of the Silver Medal whose qualifying service received a mention in despatches, and a silver oak leaf was worn to denote a King's Commendation for Brave Conduct.

There are multiple versions of the Medal. Medals issued by Britain were composed of cupro-nickel, while Medals issued by Canada were composed of Silver. The Medals were generally issued unnamed, except to those awarded to Australian and South African recipients.