British and Commonwealth Medals Research

Researching British medals?  An excellent place to start is the British National Archives.  Located by Kew Gardens just outside London, the British National Archives hold a variety of primary source material.  Medal Index Cards from the First World War give basic information on medals earned.  Soldier Attestation Papers are often available for soldiers dating back to the 19th Century.  A vast amount of Naval records are also held here.  For more information click on the following title to see their website.

The British National Archives.

Canada was an important part of the British Empire during the First World War.  The Battle of Vimy Ridge is the iconic Canadian battle of that war but only part of their contribution to the conflict.  Researching Canadian soldiers is very rewarding but can be challenging to a new collector.  For more information, see the following tutorial on Canadian archival sources.

Researching WWI Canadian EF Members.

Interested in medals but don't know what you are looking for?  Through the hard work of a number of individuals, OMSA has collected a database of medal images.  British medals are one of the largest components of the OMSA Image database.  Click on the following link to see some of the many British medals.

Links to British Medals in the OMSA Image database.