Korea Medal

Korea Medal

This medal was issued to all British & Commonwealth servicemen who served in Korea between July 1950 & July 1953. Issued in cupro-nickel, the Canadian medals were made from silver. There are two obverses. One bears the Latin inscription BRITT:OMN: and the other doesn’t. The former is more numerous than the latter. There is also a difference in naming styles, with Australian & New Zealand issues having larger impressed capitals than the British & Canadian issues. Medals awarded to members of the Gloucestershire Regiment are particularly sought after and thus command a high price.

This often forgotten war deserves more attention, as it was the first time the United Nations went to war and it stemmed the tide of Communist expansionism in the region for a decade. It also saw the widespread use of helicopters & jet aircraft for the first time. The fighting was vicious and the tactics used by the Chinese were medieval in the extreme – with thousands of men being hurled upon the allied lines in ‘human wave’ assaults. The last stand of the ‘glorious Glosters’ at the Imjin River is a particularly well-documented action in an otherwise overlooked conflict.