King's Own Royal Regiment Museum

The 1939-1945 Star (3rd Sept. 1939 to 2nd Sept. 1945)

Face
A star with six bevelled points.  In the centre the initials ‘GRI’ with a crown above and ‘VI’ below, partly circled by a band bearing the words: ‘THE 1939 - 1945 STAR’. 

Reverse
Flat and plain. 

Size
Approx. 38mm across. 

Composition
Medal and bar bronze. 

Ribbon
Approx. 31mm wide.  Coloured navy blue, red and light blue reading from the left when facing the wearer, the three stripes being of equal width.  The colours symbolise the Royal and Merchant Navies, the Army and the Royal Air Force. 

Suspension
The ribbon passes through a bronze ring (approx. 12mm in diameter) which is fixed through a loop at the top of the star. 

Naming
All issued unnamed, but some have been engraved privately.

Bars
One: A bar inscribed ‘BATTLE OF BRITAIN’ was awarded to the members of the crews of fighter aircraft who took part in the Battle of Britain, from 10th July to 31st October 1940. 

Awarded
The qualifications applicable to the Army are as follows:

Six months service in an operational command, but with the following exceptions:-

1. For service in Norway, at Dunkirk, on certain specified Commando operations or other services the qualifying period is one day.  2. Airborne troops qualify with two months service in an operational unit if they had taken part in any airborne operations.  3.  Qualifying service which was curtailed by death, or disability due to service, qualifies for this award.  4.  A person receiving a Decoration, Mention in Dispatches or King’s Commendation qualifies for this award irrespective of length of service.  5.  Time spent as a prisoner of war counted towards qualification for this Star. 

The 1939-45 Star was not issued automatically those who though they qualified had to claim it.   

The King’s Own
The 1939-45 Star was, to some extent, a qualifying award which entitled those who qualified for it to certain other campaign Stars on entry into an applicable Theatre of Operations.  An exception to this was the award of The Africa Star, which was not tied to the award of The 1939-45 Star.

The majority of those who served during the war in the various Battalions of The King’s Own, or in King’s Own units which became Royal Artillery or Royal Armoured Corps units completed six months service in an operational command and qualified for The 1939-45 Star.  All those of the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Battalions of The King’s Own and of 56th (King’s Own) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery who served in France in 1940 and took part in the Dunkirk evacuation, qualified for this Star on the strength of that service.

1939-45 Stars in the museum's collection