This is a brief guide to researching records on the subject of medals and decorations. Medal records are wide-ranging, fragmented and held in a number of different places. Not all records survive. This guide will help you gain a general overview of the main sources of the information that exists, and where to find them. This guide is for people interested in the subject of medals as opposed to those interested in finding a specific person.
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What records can I see online?
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Institution of the Victoria Cross
Download the royal warrant instituting the Victoria Cross in 1856 from DocumentsOnline.
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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Military decorations, medals, honours and awards committees
Browse the Catalogue for minutes and reports from military and government committees on decorations, medals, honours and awards to military personnel in WO 32, WO 33, CAB 21, CAB 123, AIR 2 and AIR 20.
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Civilian decorations, medals, honours and awards committees
Browse minutes and reports from military and government committees on decorations, medals, honours and awards to civilians in HO 45, PREM 2, MT 9, BT 238, BT 261, AIR 2 and HO 250.
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Treasury medal records (1936-1976)
Browse the Catalogue for Treasury and Civil Service Department records on campaign stars, medals, honours and the allocations of awards for this time period in T 300, T 301, T 302, T 303, T 304, T 305, T 333, T 335 and T 336.
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Royal Mint records (1805-1986)
Browse the Catalogue for records of the Royal Mint about the creation, supply and details of medals it created in MINT 16 and MINT 20.
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To access these records you will either need to visit us, commission research (£there will be a charge) or, where you can identify a specific record referencea unique set of letters and numbers identifying a document in The National Archives, order a copy (£there will be a charge).
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What records can I find in other archives and organisations?
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Records held locally
Search the Access to Archives (A2A) and National Register of Archives (NRA) databases to find records held in local archives.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Books
Read Medals: The Researcher's Guide by William Spencer (The National Archives, 2006)
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Websites
Browse the Orders and Medals Research Society website for information on journals and research on the subject of military medals and decorations.
Consult Institution and Award of Medals: Interdepartmental Committees source notes on Your Archives for information sources held both at The National Archives and elsewhere.
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In-depth research guides
Second World War
First World War
British Army officers up to 1913