Description British 1914 Star Medal The British 1914 Medal, also known as the Mons Star, the medal is a bronze star with a red, white, and blue ribbon, reflecting the French Tricolore. It was issued to British forces who had served in France or Belgium from 5 August 1914 (the declaration of war) to midnight 22 November 1914 (the end of the First Battle of Ypres). These were soldiers that were there at the very beginning of the war and so it was primarily awarded to the ‘Old Contemptibles’, the professional pre-war soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force. The recipient’s service number, rank, name, and unit were impressed on the back. Some medals have a horizontal metal bar worn on the ribbon and inscribed ‘5th Aug.-22nd Nov. 1914’, this distinguished those who had served under enemy fire. This clasp was replaced by a small silver rosette when the ribbon was worn without the medal, there were approximately 378,000 1914 Stars issued.
