Africa Star 1939-1945:

The Star was awarded for 1 or more days service in an operational area North Africa between 10th June 1940 and 12th May 1943. The whole of the area between the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar is included, together with Malta, Abyssinia, Kenya, Sudan, The Somaliland's and Eritrea. The areas not bordering the Mediterranean only qualified for the Africa Star from 10th June 1940 to 27th November 1941.

The Africa Star is a six–pointed star of yellow copper zinc alloy, with a height of 44mm and a maximum width of 38mm. The obverse has a central design of the Royal Cipher of King George VI, surmounted by a crown. The cipher is surrounded by a circlet containing the words ‘The Africa Star'. The reverse is plain, although Stars issued to Australian and South African personnel have recipient names engraved.

The ribbon for this medal, along with those of the other Second World War campaign stars, is reputed to have been designed by King George VI. The sand of the desert is represented by pale buff, the Royal Navy (and Merchant Navy), British Army, and Royal Air Force are represented by stripes of dark blue, red, and light blue respectively. The medal is valued at between £12 - £15.

The table below shows the qualifying time required depending on the area served. If a clasp is present; either the "8th Army", "1st Army" or "North Africa 1942-43" the value of the medal in increased by £15.
Area  Dates
An operational area in North Africa 10th June and 12th May 1943
   
   
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