The Naval General Service Medal can refer to one of two medals, each issued by the British government as
campaign medal
A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a high ...
s for naval service:
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Naval General Service Medal (1847)
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The Naval General Service Medal (NGSM) was a campaign medal approved in 1847, and issued to officers and men of the Royal Navy in 1849. The final date for submitting claims was 1 May 1851.British Battles and Medals, page 34. Admiral Tho ...
- authorised in 1847, awarded for a range of naval actions, from full-scale battles to minor skirmishes, between the period 1793–1840.
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Naval General Service Medal (1915)
The Naval General Service Medal (1915 NGSM) was instituted in 1915 to recognise service by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines in minor campaigns that would not otherwise earn a specific campaign medal. The Army/Air Force equivalent was the General ...
- instituted in 1915, intended to cover minor actions for which a full campaign medal would not have been issues.
In 1962, the British government authorised a new medal, the
General Service Medal (1962)
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The General Service Medal (1962 GSM, also sometimes referred to as the Campaign Service Medal), is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom introduced in 1962 to replace both the General Service Medal (1918), as awarded to the Army and R ...
, which replaced both the Naval General Service Medal and the Army and RAF equivalent — the
General Service Medal (1918)
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The General Service Medal (1918 GSM) was instituted to recognise service in minor Army and Royal Air Force operations for which no separate medal was intended. Local forces, including police, qualified for many of the clasps, as could ...
.
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