Kiwi Medals

The Africa Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.

The Star was awarded for a minimum one day service in an operational area of North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943.

The whole of the area between the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar is included, together with Malta, Abyssinia, Kenya, Sudan, The Solmalilands and Eritrea. The areas not bordering the Mediterranean only qualified for the Africa Star from 10 June 1940 to 27 November 1941.
Members of the Australian Imperial Force qualified for the Star for service in Syria from 8 June 1941 and 11 July 1941.

This example has no bar.

The Africa Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.

The Star was awarded for a minimum one day service in an operational area of North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943.

The whole of the area between the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar is included, together with Malta, Abyssinia, Kenya, Sudan, The Solmalilands and Eritrea. The areas not bordering the Mediterranean only qualified for the Africa Star from 10 June 1940 to 27 November 1941.
Members of the Australian Imperial Force qualified for the Star for service in Syria from 8 June 1941 and 11 July 1941.

The example pictured includes the North Africa 1942-43 bar.

Regulations only allow one clasp to be worn with the Star, being the first clasp the recipient qualified for.

• 8th Army
  Awarded for service with the 8th Army between 23 October 1942 and 12 May 1943. An ‘8’ is worn on the ribbon in undress to denote this bar. This award is controversial because Eighth Army was created in October of 1941 and fought in Africa for a year before the award service requirement. The award dates from the start of the El Alamein battle that ultimately led to the German eviction from Africa. Reportedly General Bernard Montgomery refused to allow Eighth

Army soliders who fought under his predecessor, General Auchinleck, from October of 1941, and even his first few months of service starting in August of 1942 to wear the award.

• 1st Army
  Awarded for service with the 1st Army between 8 November 1942 and 12 May 1943. A ‘1’ is worn on the ribbon in undress to denote this bar.

• North Africa 1942-43
  Awarded for service with the navy, merchant navy, or Royal Air Force in specified areas from 23 October 1942 to 12 May 1943. In undress, a rosette on the ribbon denotes this bar.

• Use of rosette emblem
  During the same dates, inshore service by the merchant navy, certain commands of the Royal Air Force and by the personnel of the headquarters of the 18th Army Group earned a silver rose emblem instead of one of the clasps.

The example here is one with a 1st Army bar.

This example of the Africa Star has an additional 8th Army bar attached. See above for other examples. I have a few more Africa Stars, in groups mostly and a single without any bar.