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Defence Medal 1939-1945

The Defence Medal was awarded for service in the forces in non-operational areas subjected to air attack or closey threatened for at least three years service in Great Britain until 8th May 1945 or one year in territories overseas until 2 September 1945. In the case of mine and bomb disposal units the time qualification was three months and Canadians serving for one year in Newfoundland were eligible and persons serving for six months in Hong Kong were also eligible. Service in West Africa, Palestine and India, other than operational air crew, qualified also for this award. Those awarded the George Cross or the George Medal for civil defence received this award and the Home Guard also qualified for this award.

Owing to the terms of reference it was not unusual to find a person with this award who had never heard a shot fired, but a person with only the Defence Medal, for example, whilst serving in the rescue services in London earned also this award and only the man who wears this award knows why it was earned.

The award has the coinage head of King George VI on the obverse. The reverse shows the Royal Crown resting above a small oak tree and flanked by two heraldic lions. The dates 1939 and 1945 appear in the top left and right respectively on the reverse, whilst beneath are the words THE DEFENCE MEDAL. The Medal is made of a Cupro-Nickel combination. The Canadian versions however, were made of ".800 fine" silver.

The light green ribbon is 1.25 inches wide with a central stripe of orange, which is 0.5 inches wide, and a narrow black stripe in the middle of each green stripe. The orange (flame colour) represents the enemy attacks on the green land of England and the black stripes represents the black-outs.

Aadland, Richard* September 5th, 1904
† February 12th, 1945
Plot: XXV Row: C Grave: 13

Grid List
NameDate of birthDate of deathAwards
Callaghan, Henry  more
Calvert, Eric T.  
Cameron, Duncan  
Camilleri, Paul  more
Campbell, John  
Cappi, Ernst Thomson  
Cargill, William  
Carter, Bernard Law  
Chance, Peter Goodwin24-11-1920 more
Charles, Edward  
Church, Jack Joseph  
Chute, Rowland Fitzmaurice Eidingtoun02-10-1899 more
Cohen, G.M. "Kay"  
Cole, Kenneth John00-00-1919 
Coop, Thomas William  
Cornwall, Frederick Charles01-09-1895 more
Costello, John Aston05-04-1916 
Cotter, John00-06-1912 
Cotterell, Lester  more
Courage, Rafe Edward22-06-1902 more
Cowan, William James Henry14-07-1915 
Cox, Derrick  
Coyne, James Anthony Ignatius  
Craggs, Harold Telfer13-08-1919 more
Cramer, John08-01-1916 more
Cybruch, Tadeusz00-00-1918 more
Cypher, Herbert Thomas  
Chase, Frederick John Alliston18-04-191018-04-1910
Campbell, Alexander Fraser02-05-189818-10-1940
Curtis, Charles 06-02-1942
Campbell, John Charles "Jock"10-01-189426-02-1942more
Campbell, Sydney Peter07-05-190908-11-1942
Cizek, Evzen10-12-190426-11-1942more
Cholette, Joseph Henri Jacques08-03-192220-12-1942
Carmichael, Gordon Thomas 09-07-1943
Campion, Michael Patrick08-05-191604-12-1943
Cairns, George Albert12-12-191319-03-1944more
Campling, Eric Frank Knowles01-08-192008-04-1944more
Cagienard, Robert-Roland00-00-192025-04-1944
Campion, George Alexander23-01-191123-05-1944
Conway, Victor George Henry 06-06-1944
Cutts, Edward Gersham28-11-190517-06-1944
Chambers, Richard Eric26-10-191929-09-1944more
Carter, Willis Victor17-02-191726-11-1944more
Carswell, Nelson Alexander30-05-191908-12-1944
Campbell, Alexander Henry19-02-192010-12-1944
Chaske, Tom03-03-192212-12-1944
Cameron, Robert05-06-191420-12-1944
Campbell, Frederick William 01-01-191523-12-1944more
Cockbain, Stephen Legh00-00-191614-01-1945
Christie, Raymond Victor17-02-192228-01-1945
Charbonneau, Lawrence Adrian 07-10-192129-01-1945
Churchill, Randolph Samuel28-08-192230-01-1945more
Campbell, John06-05-191708-02-1945
Cauley, Roger Francis 07-11-191508-02-1945
Carter, John Robert18-02-190909-02-1945
Campbell, Joseph Daniel03-08-191410-02-1945
Campbell, John Weston26-05-191614-02-1945
Chabluk, Meron04-12-192018-02-1945
Chester, George Edward30-08-191519-02-1945
Carter, Donald Roy27-05-192220-02-1945more
Campbell, Roy13-07-192321-02-1945more
Campbell, Duncan Archie26-08-190024-02-1945more
Chapman, William Liddle02-09-192224-02-1945
Caron, Albert06-10-191726-02-1945
Chadbolt, Donald David29-04-192326-02-1945
Chambers, John James29-10-192226-02-1945
Cosens, Aubrey21-05-192126-02-1945
Caldwell, Alexander Wallace02-08-191427-02-1945more
Clark, Neil Newton 20-09-191927-02-1945
Cahill, Henry Thomas16-06-191128-02-1945
Cherry, Harry04-03-191501-03-1945
Clark, Fred Watson 27-04-190901-03-1945
Carriere, Frank05-05-191602-03-1945
Catto, William John22-04-191702-03-1945more
Carter, Stewart Musgrave 25-02-192003-03-1945
Chapman, Richard Harker 31-03-191503-03-1945
Carroll, Martin Seymour29-05-192104-03-1945
Carphin, Cyril27-09-191806-03-1945more
Cameron, Conrad Verdun10-12-191708-03-1945
Cannon, Robert Henry29-06-192308-03-1945
Carroll, Roger Joseph Leon10-01-191108-03-1945
Chartrand, Adelard Joseph 07-11-192009-03-1945more
Chilton, Alfred16-11-191616-03-1945more
Chance, George Charles 19-03-1945
Chamberlain, Douglas Cecil27-05-192229-03-1945
Code, Archibald James26-10-191601-04-1945
Caron, Joseph Paul Roland26-07-191505-04-1945
Cherry, Frank Arthur28-04-192110-04-1945
Carr, Patrick Amos01-09-192011-04-1945more
Cambridge, John Armour06-05-191515-04-1945more
Chappell, Harold25-04-192413-05-1945more
Clark, Ronald George11-12-192525-07-1945
Corby, John00-03-188700-00-1946more
Corser, Richard George00-00-192000-05-1949more
Charlton, Wilson Hodgson09-04-190712-05-1953
Cumper, William John "Bill" 00-12-1954more
Cole, Robert Bruce11-11-191916-01-1956more
Cunningham, Andrew Browne, 1st Viscount Cunningh07-01-188312-06-1963more
Cottrell-Hill, Roger Charles00-00-190300-00-1965more
Crerar, Henry Duncan Graham "Harry"28-04-188801-04-1965more
Connolly, Stephen John Verdun05-03-191721-07-1966
Croker, Edward James O’Brien21-06-191013-05-1967more
Combe, John Frederick Boyce01-08-189512-07-1967more
Cain, Robert Henry02-01-190902-05-1974
Chandler, Thomas Francis00-00-191905-04-1975more
Cullen, Frederick John27-08-190415-02-1976more
Collishaw, Raymond22-11-189328-09-1976
Cochrane, Ralph Alexander24-02-189517-12-1977more
Colyer, Douglas01-03-189322-02-1978more
Chene, Le, Pierre Louis "Grégoire"14-06-190000-00-1979more
Cracknell, Douglas Aubrey09-12-190900-00-1979more
Chater, Hartley Ernest00-02-190300-00-1983
Cohen, Vincent Oswald00-00-191200-00-1984
Clouston, Arthur Edmond07-04-190801-01-1984more
Carr, Jack Theobald01-07-190327-07-1984
Campbell, Robert McNeil29-11-192300-11-1985more
Crawley, Douglas Edward02-09-192000-00-1986more
Currie, David Vivian08-07-191224-06-1986more
Chelmecki, Marian Stefan01-01-191601-01-1988more
Crawford-Compton, William Vernon02-03-191502-01-1988more
Cock, John Reynolds03-03-191829-08-1988
Cliff, Geoffrey John "Jack"14-08-190714-10-1988more
Cukr, Vaclav16-10-191314-10-1989more
Czerny, Jan Tadeusz02-01-190818-02-1991more
Clayton, Gareth Thomas Butler13-11-191405-02-1992more
Callander, Donald Fraser22-04-191805-04-1992more
Cheshire, Geoffrey Leonard07-09-191731-07-1992more
Chalk, William Robert "Bob"00-00-191300-00-1993more
Carr-Lewty, Robet Albert06-07-191104-03-1994
Caldwell, Clive Robertson "Killer"28-07-191105-08-1994more
Cochrane, Alfred William Gordon10-10-191629-10-1994more
Chandler, Alfred Roy08-08-190800-00-1995
Casey, Fred "Killer" 00-00-1997more
Chennell, Lionel Albert 00-00-1997
Crawshay, William Robert27-05-192025-01-1997more
Clark, Samuel Findlay "Fin"17-03-190903-09-1998more
Coomber, William Peter 02-10-1999
Crankshaw, John Anthony Norman00-00-191800-03-2000more
Craig, John Harper23-05-191401-06-2000
Cutler, Arthur Roden24-05-191621-02-2002more
Chalmers, George Alexander12-02-192100-08-2002more
Cross, Kenneth Brian Boyd "Bing"04-10-191118-06-2003more
Cameron, Ralph Alverne Cyril25-08-191807-07-2004
Corder, Charles Clayton29-07-191731-05-2005more
Currant, Christopher Frederick "Bunny"14-12-191112-03-2006more
Checketts, John Milne "Johny"20-02-191221-04-2006more
Cornioley-Witherington, Cecile Pearl24-06-191424-02-2008more
Campbell, Arthur William11-04-192019-08-2010
Cross, Philip Louis Ulrich01-05-191704-10-2013
Carpenter, Thomas "Tom"20-07-192401-05-2014
Curtis, Lettice01-02-191521-07-2014
Carter, Thomas Christopher "Toby"27-12-191728-08-2014more
Chojnacki, Wlodzimierz19-11-191402-10-2014more
Campbell, John Davies11-11-192130-07-2015more
Carey, Walter Evan21-11-192018-02-2016
Cranefield, Knivett Carton02-05-192217-09-2016
Casement, Peter Reginald22-05-192112-12-2016more
Cartmell, James Henry18-09-192224-02-2017more
Coombes, Aubrey Bruce 09-04-192603-04-2020

Sources