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First World War Medal Index Cards

What is the Medal Rolls Index?

You can search and download over 5 million medal cards. The Medal Index Cards (MICs) were created by the Army Medal Office towards the end of the First World War. The cards record an individual's medal entitlement, their rank(s), or unit(s) and often the first theatre of war they served in.

What are campaign medals?

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Campaign medals were awarded to individuals who served in the First World War, who met the qualifications laid down for each medal. In general all those who saw service overseas were awarded a campaign medal. The qualifications for each campaign medal are:

1914 Star1914 Star

Instituted in 1917 for service ashore in France and Flanders between 5 August and 22 November 1914. In 1919 a clasp bearing the above dates was authorised and given to those individuals who had actually been under fire between the prescribed dates.

1914/15 Star1914/15 Star

Authorised in 1918, the 1914/15 Star was awarded to those individuals who saw service in France and Flanders from 23 November 1914 to 31 December 1915, and to those individuals who saw service in any other operational theatre from 5 August 1914 to 31 December 1915.

British War MedalBritish War Medal

The British War Medal 1914-1920, authorised in 1919, was awarded to eligible service personnel and civilians. Qualification for the award varied slightly according to service. The basic requirement for army personnel and civilians was that they either entered a theatre of war, or rendered approved service overseas between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918. Service in Russia in 1919 and 1920 also qualified for the award.

Victory MedalVictory Medal

The Victory Medal 1914-1919 was also authorised in 1919 and was awarded to all eligible personnel who served on the establishment of a unit in an operational theatre.

Territorial Force MedalTerritorial Force Medal

The Territorial Force War Medal 1914-1919 was awarded to members of the Territorial Force only. To qualify, the recipient had to have been a member of the Territorial Force on or prior to 30 September 1914, and to have served in an operational theatre outside of the United Kingdom between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918.

The Silver War BadgeThe Silver War Badge

The Silver War Badge, sometimes erroneously called the Silver Wound Badge, was authorised in September 1916 and takes the form of a circular badge with the legend "For King and Empire-Services Rendered" surrounding the George V cypher. The badge was awarded to all of those military personnel who were discharged as a result of sickness or wounds contracted or received during the war, either at home or overseas.

Searching the medal cards

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You can search for cards by:

  • Last name
  • First name or initial
  • Regiment number
  • Corps
  • Rank

Search tips

  • Entering the surname and regiment number into the Advanced search form usually brings the cards up first time.
  • Occasionally there is no regimental number recorded on the card, which may be the case if the person was an officer. In this case try searching for name and regiment.
  • Leave the date field empty, because all the medal cards have a covering date of 1914-1920.
  • If members of the Royal Flying Corps did not see service overseas until 1916 or later, you will not find a medal card here. The Air Ministry maintained these medal records and they have not been transferred to The National Archives.
  • 'Sergeant' was more commonly spelt as 'serjeant' in those days- bear this in mind when searching.

  • Officers had to apply for their campaign medal, so if they did not apply, there will not be a medal card.
  • For more help on searching, read more search tips.

Don't pay twice for the same download

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Complete WO 372 Medal Card Index page

There are six cards to a page

Your download will contain 6 medal cards (with the exception of the Indian Army medal cards found within pieces WO 372/25 to WO 372/29, which were scanned individually). If you are ordering two or more medal cards for individuals with similar names, check first that their cards are not in the same image.

You can do this by looking at the reference number given on the "image details" page, which is two numbers separated by a forward slash, for example the image reference number for the medal card of Albert E. Blood is 433375/33042PDF file - opens in a new window. The second of these numbers indicates the download that contains the medal card.

popup opens in a new window If you also wanted to buy the card of Albert G. Blood, you should look at the image reference number for his card. It is 433377/33042PDF file - opens in a new window. The second number in this example is the same as the first example, which means both cards are contained in the same image.

How do you read them?

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Design 1

The top of the medal card contains the soldier's name, rank(s), number(s) and unit(s).

The left hand side of the card contains a printed list of the campaign medals. A note in the 'roll' and 'page' column meant the soldier was awarded that medal. You may also see 'do', which meant 'ditto'. These notes refer to the medal roll; To find out more see Further research.

You might find information regarding the theatre of war first served in and the date the individual entered that theatre. If this part of the card is blank, this usually means that the individual went to France in 1916 or later.

You may see remarks concerning the career or fate of the individual, such as date of death and the date a soldier was discharged. The original medal issue and medal receipt may also be noted.

"Clasp and Roses" or "Cl" means the soldier received the dated clasp to adorn the ribbon of the 1914 Star, or a silver rosette to go on the ribbon when only ribbons are being worn.

"EMB" or "Emblems" denotes that an individual had been "Mentioned in Despatches" (MID) and that at least two "oak leaf" MID emblems had been sent to the recipient.

Occasionally the medal card will confirm that the individual did not receive any medals, including many soldiers who went to France after 11 November 1918. They thought they were entitled and applied, but had their application refused. Others failed to meet the required criteria for certain awards, had not served abroad, or forfeited their campaign medals due to a disciplinary infringement. popup - opens in a new window

Design 2

This design contains the same information as the first card, the difference being that the medal entitlement is at the top right hand corner. The entire lower half of the card is left free for any remarks.


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Design 3: the Silver War Badge

This MIC was used for individuals who received the Silver War Badge only. The card contains information about an individual and often gives the date of enlistment, date of discharge and reason for discharge. The card will also give the Silver War Badge roll reference.


Abbreviations

Medal cards often contain abbreviations and alphanumeric codes and we have listed some common ones below. The codes for those who saw their first operational service from 1 January 1916 onwards differ slightly from those who saw operational service before 1916. You can also read more about Abbreviations used for rank and Abbreviations used for unit.

Up to 31 December 1915 From 1 January 1916
1 1 Western Europe
a France and Belgium
b Italy
2 2 Balkans
a Greek Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria and European Turkey
b Gallipoli (Dardanelles)
3 Russia (4 - 5 August 1914 to 1 - 2 July 1920)
3 4 Egypt
a 4 - 5 November 1914 to 18 - 19 March 1916
b 18 - 19 March 1916 to 31 October - 1 November 1918
4 5 Africa
a East Africa, Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia
b South West Africa
c Cameroon
d Nigeria
e Togoland
5 6 Asia
a Hedjaz
b Mesopotamia
c Persia
d Trans Caspia
e South West Arabia
f Aden
g Frontier regions of India
h Tsingtau
6 7 Australasia
a New Britain
b New Ireland
c Kaiser Wilhelmland
d Admiralty Islands
e Nauru
f German Samoa
 

Other Abbreviations

ARZ Class Z Army Reserve. In December 1918 soldiers being demobilised were first posted to Class Z. They could return to civilian life but knew they were obliged to return if necessary. The Z Reserve was abolished on 31 March 1920.
Cl An individual had been sent a dated clasp. This clasp would go on the ribbon of the 1914 Star, or a silver rosette would go on the ribbon when only medal ribbons were being worn
Comm Commissioned
EMB or Emblems An individual had been "Mentioned in Despatches" (MID) and at least two "oak leaf" MID emblems had been sent to the recipient
KiA or Killed If a soldier died in action, it is often marked on the card. Sometimes it will just say "Dead" but occasionally it will not be noted at all.
KR 392 King's Regulation 392 which covered causes of early discharge whether through ill health, misconduct or other reasons
Rep Replaced. This is an unusual comment implying that the index card was replaced at some point
Retd or Rtd (sometimes "Retd undisposed of") Returned. If there was an error in the inscription, the medals would have to be returned to the Medals Office. Another reason for return was if the individual had moved house and the parcel was not deliverable.
TE or T/E or T of E Time Expired. This is when the soldier had reached the end of his agreed period of military service. It applies only to pre-war soldiers of the regular army or Territorial Force. These men were allowed to go home but from 1916 many TE men returned to active service as conscripted soldiers.
   

Other index cards

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You can find other medal cards on DocumentsOnline. Some of the information on these cards will lead you to other records while others will not. The catalogue reference of the document will indicate whether you have located one of these cards:

  • The Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) cards: catalogue reference WO 372/23
  • The Military Medal (MM) cards: catalogue reference WO 372/23
  • The Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) cards: catalogue reference WO 372/24
  • The Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) cards: catalogue reference WO 372/24
  • The Territorial Force Efficiency Medal (TFEM) and Territorial Efficiency Medal (TEM) cards: catalogue reference WO 372/24.

The DCM, MM, MSM, TFEM, TEM and MiD indexes rarely use the first name of the recipient, so it is necessary to search using the soldier's first initial.

These cards cover awards granted between about 1909 - 1931. Apart from providing name, rank, number and unit, these cards often provide the Army Order number and date upon which the award was announced. Army Orders are preserved at The National Archives in the series WO 123 but very few lists of the recipients survive.

Most of the DCM, MM and MSM card indexes usually note in which operational theatre the award was won.

The Territorial Force Efficiency Medal (TFEM) was instituted in 1908 as a long service award for other ranks in the Territorial Force. Qualification for the award was 12 years' service, with war service counting double. The TFEM was renamed the Territorial Efficiency Medal in 1921 when the TF became the Territorial Army. The name and design of the award was changed again in 1930, becoming the Efficiency Medal (Territorial), sometimes noted as EM(T).

The DCM, MM, MSM and MID indexes all provide the date upon which the award was announced in the London Gazette. You can use the date you can consult the The London Gazette website. Some of the award dates are given as a numerical code- use the table below to interpret it.

Gazette Code Number

Date(s)

59 11 February or 13 March 1919
60 18 or 24 or 30 January or 22 February 1919
61 29 March 1919
62 14 May 1919
63 17 June 1919
64 3 July 1919
65 23 July 1919
66 20 August 1919
67 20 August 1919
68 22 September 1919
69 16 October 1919
Peace Gazette 3 June 1919
Prisoner of War 30 January or 19 June 1920
   

Indian Army Medal Index Cards

DocumentsOnline holds the medal cards of over 20,000 soldiers who served in the Indian Army during WW1. The cards record the medal entitlement of soldiers who were entitled to, or made a claim for, campaign medals.

  • Indian Army medal cards can be found within catalogue references WO 372/25 to WO 372/29.

The Army Medal Office created these cards after the war had ended, and generally they record the latest unit that the soldier served in and the last rank he held. Some of the medal cards record claims for medals that were made as late as the 1930s.

The cards record a soldier's entitlement to the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Many soldiers were also awarded one or more clasps to go with the British War Medal, and this is also recorded on the cards. The award of a clasp is indicated by a reference on the right hand side of the card, but unlike other medal cards the reference will not direct you to other records.

Unlike the other medal index cards, which have been scanned 6 per page, you will only receive one medal card per download.

Further research

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Harry Patch

You can view the medal card recording the medals awarded to Henry John 'Harry' Patch. Known at the 'Last Tommy', he was the last British survivor of the First World War trenches. Harry Patch was born on 17 June 1898 and died on 25 July 2009, aged 111. His medal cardPDF file - opens in a new window is at the bottom right of the page, outlined in red. It tells us that he was awarded the Victory and British War medals.

Medal rolls

For other soldiers you can use the references given on campaign medal cards to consult the medal rolls, however the only additional piece of information you may find is the battalion number, which is useful if you wish to search the War Diaries. To locate the roll you will need to consult the "Key to The Medal Rolls" in the series WO 329/1. This Key converts the original Army Medal Office reference into a WO 329 document reference. You may prefer to visit The National Archives or engage an independent researcher to obtain these copies on your behalf.

Service records

You may wish to look for a service record, however bear in mind that 60% of these records were destroyed by fire during World War Two bombings. Not all of the records are in the same place: Visit our resources guide and follow the prompts to be directed to the right area.

There is a list of the types of records destroyed at the Army Records Centre, Arnside Street, London as a result of bombing on the 8th September 1940, (WO 32/21769) available from DocumentsOnline.

Other resources

  • If a soldier died in the war, you may wish to search the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.


  • After 6 February 1918 service men could register to vote in the constituency of their home address. Two Absent Voters Lists were published in October 1918 and April 1919. Men had to be over 21 years old to vote, so the names of men under 21 are not included. These lists are usually kept at local reference libraries. Leeds City Council have compiled a database from the Absent Voters List 1914-1918 which is now available online.


  • Town/ District/ Trade Rolls of Honour: the first place to search for these is the Local Record Office. You can find contact details for UK county and metropolitan record offices in the ARCHON Directory of UK Archives.


  • Local Newspapers, editions of Flight or The Aeroplane have medal citations and battle reports: try British Library Newspapers or local reference libraries.


  • Journals of the Cross and Cockade, the society of First World War aero-historians, may be useful.