South Atlantic Medal

Award

South Atlantic Medal

Obverse, with rosette, and reverse of medal

Type| Campaign medal
Awarded for| Service in the South Atlantic, during the Falklands War
Description| Cupronickel disk, 36mm diameter.
Presented by| the United Kingdom
Eligibility| British Armed Forces, Merchant Navy and civilians
Campaign(s)| Falklands War
Clasps| No clasp, but a rosette.
Total recipients| Circa 33,300

ribbon bars of the medal

The South Atlantic Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British military personnel and civilians for service in the Falklands War of 1982 between the United Kingdom and Argentina. Over 33,000 medals have been awarded. The South Atlantic Medal Association was formed in 1997 for recipients of the South Atlantic Medal.[1]

## Appearance

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The medal is made of cupronickel, and is 36 mm in diameter.[2] It was struck by the Royal Mint and issued by the Army Medal Office, Droitwich. It has the following design:[3]

The obverse bears a crowned effigy of The Queen facing right, with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID:DEF ("Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith").

The reverse has the Falkland Islands' coat of arms, which bears the words "DESIRE THE RIGHT" (an allusion to English explorer John Davis' ship, "Desire"). A laurel wreath below and the words "SOUTH ATLANTIC MEDAL" above make up the border.

The initials and surname, rank or rating, service number and unit of the recipient are diamond engraved on the edge of the medal, although those for Royal Navy officers, as was the tradition, did not include the service number.

The 32 mm ribbon has a central stripe of "sea green" flanked on each side by stripes of white and "empire blue", shaded and watered, symbolising the Atlantic Ocean.[4] The design, attributed to HM the Queen, was based on the ribbon for the British Second World War campaign medal, the Atlantic Star,[3] itself devised by her father King George VI.[5]

## Criteria

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The medal with rosette was awarded for one day's service within 35° and 60° South latitude or for at least one operational sortie south of Ascension Island, between 2 April and 14 June 1982 (2 April being the date of the Argentine invasion, 14 June being the date of ceasefire now accepted as the effective Argentine surrender on the islands although the Argentine surrender did not take place until mid August).[4][6] This, generally, denoted service in the combat zone.[7] Where the rosette was worn on the ribbon, this was both with the medal and on the ribbon bar.[7]

The medal without rosette was awarded for 30 days continuous or accumulated service between 7° and 60° South latitude between 2 April and 14 June 1982 (completing no later than 12 July 1982).[4] As a result of the 2012 Independent Medal Review conducted by Sir John Holmes, from 1 October 2014 the qualifying period for the medal without rosette was extended to 21 October 1982, the date modifications were completed to RAF Stanley airfield allowing operation of RAF Phantoms as personnel on the islands post 14 June remained under threat of potential re invasion and the islands required due attention due to mines, booby traps, burial parties and general post conflict rehabilitation.[8]

The rosette remains an unusual feature for a British medal and was used partly for economy and speed of manufacture,[3] and also as otherwise fewer than two hundred medals would have been issued to the Royal Air Force. While for other arms the vast majority of the medals were issued with a rosette, over 90% of the medals issued to the Royal Air Force are without the rosette, with the recipients mainly stationed on Ascension Island, some 3,300 nmi (6,100 km) north of the Falkland Islands and the war zone. An exception being the Royal Air Force Regiment who had one squadron disembark at San Carlos on 1 June.[citation needed]

Those mentioned in despatches during the campaign wear a bronze oak leaf on the medal ribbon.[9]

Service qualifying for the South Atlantic Medal does not count towards the period required to receive the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal.[10]

## Recipients

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Initially, about 29,700 people were awarded the medal, including Prince Andrew. Members of the Merchant Navy and civilians were also eligible, for example civil servants serving in Ascension Island, NAAFI staff, war artist Linda Kitson[3] and journalists attached to the armed forces, including Michael Nicholson.[11]
As at 3 November 2017, as a result of an extension of the qualifying period to 21 October 1982, an additional 3,626 medals have been awarded without rosette.[12]

Branch  | Medals issued[3]

|

British Army | 6,968
Royal Air Force | 2,008
Royal Navy | 12,927
Royal Marines | 3,729
Royal Fleet Auxiliary | 1,960
Merchant Navy/Civilians  | 2,090
Further awards from 2014, on extension
of qualifying period to 21 Oct 1982  | 3,626[12]

## References

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1. ^ "SAMA History". www.sama82.org. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
2. ^ "South Atlantic Medal 1982". www.stephen-stratford.com. Retrieved 30 January 2008.
3. ^ a b c d e Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin. British Battles and Medals. pp. 266-8. Published Spink, London. 1988.
4. ^ a b c "Medals: campaigns, descriptions and eligibility". www.mod.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
5. ^ Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals in Time of War (May 1945). "Campaign Stars and the Defence Medal (Regulations)". London: HM Stationery Office. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
6. ^ "Honours and Awards in the Armed Forces (JSP 761) (V5.0 Oct 16). Page 8A-1". MoD Joint Services Publication. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
7. ^ a b Mussell, J (ed) Medals Yearbook – 2015, page 201. Token Publishing.
8. ^ "Sir John Holmes independent medal review, 2014 update". Gov.uk. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
9. ^ "Honours and Awards in the Armed Forces (JSP 761) (V5.0 Oct 16). Page 12-3". MoD Joint Services Publication. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
10. ^ "Honours and Awards in the Armed Forces (JSP 761) (V5.0 Oct 16). Para 8B-05, page 8B-2". MoD Joint Services Publication. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
11. ^ "Michael Nicholson, obituary". Daily Telegraph. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
12. ^ a b "Freedom of Information request: number of Medals without Rosette awarded since October 2014" (PDF). MoD. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2018.

## External links

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* The South Atlantic Medal Association (1982)

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British campaign medals

18th century|

* Naval General Service Medal (1793–1840)
* Naval Gold Medal (1793–1815)
* Military General Service Medal (1793–1814)

19th century|

* Army of India Medal (1803–26)
* Army Gold Cross/Army Gold Medal (1806–14)
* Waterloo Medal (1815)
* South Africa Medal (1834–6, 1846–7, 1850–3)
* Ghuznee Medal (1839)
* First China War Medal (1839–42)
* Jellalabad Medals (1841–2)
* Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul Medal (1842)
* Medal for the Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie (1842)
* Scinde Medal (1843)
* Gwalior Star (1843)
* Sutlej Medal (1845–6)
* New Zealand Medal (1845–7, 1860–6)
* Punjab Medal (1848–9)
* India General Service Medal (1852–95)
* Baltic Medal (1854–5)
* Crimean War Medal (1854–6)
* Indian Mutiny Medal (1857–8)
* Second China War Medal (1857–60)
* Canada General Service Medal (1866–70)
* Abyssinian War Medal (1867–8)
* Ashantee Medal (1873–4)
* South Africa Medal (1877–9)
* Afghanistan Medal (1878–80)
* Kabul to Kandahar Star (1880)
* Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal (1880–1, 1896–7)
* Egypt Medal (1882–9)
* Royal Niger Company Medal (1886–97)
* North West Canada Medal (1885)
* East and West Africa Medal (1887–1900)
* British South Africa Company Medal (1890–7)
* Central Africa Medal (1891–8)
* India Medal (1895–1902)
* Ashanti Star (1895–6)
* Queen's Sudan Medal (1896–8)
* East and Central Africa Medal (1897–9)
* Queen's South Africa Medal (1899–1902)
* Queen's Mediterranean Medal (1899–1902)
* Transport Medal (1899–1902)
* China War Medal (1900)
* Ashanti Medal (1900)

20th century
pre-First World War|

* King's South Africa Medal (1902)
* Africa General Service Medal (1902–56)
* Tibet Medal (1905)
* Natal Native Rebellion Medal (1906)
* India General Service Medal (1909)

First World War|

* 1914 Star
* 1914–15 Star
* British War Medal
* Mercantile Marine War Medal
* Victory Medal (United Kingdom)
* Victory Medal (South Africa)
* Territorial War Medal

Inter-World Wars|

* Naval General Service Medal (1915)
* General Service Medal (1918)
* India General Service Medal (1936)

Second World War|

* 1939–1945 Star
* Atlantic Star
* Arctic Star
* Air Crew Europe Star
* Africa Star
* Pacific Star
* Burma Star
* Italy Star
* France and Germany Star
* Defence Medal
* War Medal 1939–1945
* Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
* Africa Service Medal
* India Service Medal
* New Zealand War Service Medal
* Australia Service Medal
* Southern Rhodesia Service Medal

Post-Second World War|

* Korea Medal (1951)
* Nuclear Test Medal (1952)
* General Service Medal (1962)
* Rhodesia Medal (1980)
* South Atlantic Medal (1982)
* Gulf Medal (1992)

21st century|

* OSM for Sierra Leone (2000)
* OSM for Afghanistan (2002)
* OSM for Democratic Republic of Congo (2003)
* Iraq Medal (2004)
* Iraq Reconstruction Service Medal (2004)
* Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan) (2011)
* Ebola Medal (2015)
* General Service Medal (2008) (2015)
* OSM for Iraq & Syria (2017)
* Humanitarian Medal (2023)
* Wider Service Medal (2024)

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