Fully revised second edition of Peter Duckers best-selling guide to military medals. This second edition of Peter Duckers best-selling British Military Medals traces the history of medals and gallantry awards from Elizabethan times to the modern day, and it features an expert account of their design and production. Campaign and gallantry medals are a key to understanding - and exploring - British and imperial military history, and to uncovering the careers and exploits of individual soldiers. In a series of succinct and well-organized chapters he explains how medals originated, to whom they were awarded and how the practice of giving medals has developed over the centuries. His work is a guide for collectors and for local and family historians who want to learn how to use medals to discover the history of military units and the experiences of individuals who served in them.

Here's a complete reference that will appeal to collectors of militaria, or anyone interested in world or military history. Fascinating glimpses of the British Empire unfold in this detailed study of medals awarded to British Army troops over more than two centuries. Covers military battles and campaigns waged from 1791 through the Gulf War.

In their companion volume to British Army Cap Badges of the First World War, authors Peter Doyle and Chris Foster present an overview of the main cap badges worn by the British Army during the Second World War, which continued the rich and varied tradition of British regimental insignia. This book describes and illustrates, for the first time in high quality full colour, the main types of cap badge worn. With many amalgamations, war-raised units and special forces, British military insignia from the period have a surprising range that differs substantially from that worn by the soldiers of the previous generation. As in the first book, this volume contains contemporary illustrations of the soldiers themselves wearing the badges. Employing the skills of an established writer (and collector) and artist, it provides a unique reference guide for anyone interested in the British Army of the period.

The background to collecting military medals is inseparable from a study of history. The earliest British medals, as befits a nation for so long reliant upon naval strength for its independence, were issued to the Navy, beginning with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The first true campaign medals awarded to the Army followed the Battle of Waterloo, although many had been issued privately and unofficially before this. As one would expect for a country like Britain, with an outstanding imperial history dating to modern times, a vast field of military medals covering service in Africa, India, and China awaits the attention of the collector. There are, too, the collections relating to major wars, including the Crimean War, Boer War and the two World Wars. Colin Narbeth describes the medals awarded, and the actions which gave rise to special bars, ribbons and stars. Orders and decorations, including the Victoria Cross and the George Cross, both awarded for extreme valor, are described as are the naming of medals and display. As well as this wealth of background information, the author also details the aims to which a new collector should aspire, and discusses the pitfalls to guard against, including the problem of identification of forgeries. The volume is illustrated with numerous photographs selected by the author.

The rise and fall of Germany's Third Reich is one of the most studied, investigated and collected episodes of military history. Third Reich Collectibles features more than 1,300 color images with descriptions and values. Throughout the book you'll also find historical background information and period photographs capturing everyday Nazi Germany.|The rise and fall of Germany's Third Reich is one of the most studied, investigated and collected episodes of military history. A reign of terror that rose to near world domination during the 1930s and early 1940s, Adolph Hitler's Germany continues to fascinate generations of scholars and students of history alike.The Third Reich's insatiable drumbeat of pageantry and propaganda produced countless uniforms, insignia, medals, flags, daggers, swords, and headgear, comprising one of the most desired categories in all of military collectibles to study, understand and own.Groundbreaking in scope and execution, Third Reich Collectibles features more than 1,300 color images with descriptions and values for:UniformsHelmetsHeadgearFlagsBadgesMembership pinsPatchesArmbandsFirearmsBladesEquipmentPaper IDsSignageAnd more associated with the military and paramilitary groups of the Third ReichThroughout the book you'll also find historical background information and period photographs capturing everyday Nazi Germany.

At a time of imperial expansion, British forces were almost constantly in action against major powers, in wars of conquest, or in expeditions on the fringes of Empire, such as the North West Frontier, southern Africa or Burma. This book outlines the medals issued to British soldiers and sailors for military service.

Britain has issued medals rewarding war service since at least the early nineteenth century, and increasingly through the period of its imperial expansion prior to 1914, but examples of many of the early types are now scarce. However, few families escaped some involvement with “the Great War” of 1914 18, and many still treasure the medals awarded to their ancestors for wartime service. Today, with a growing interest in British military history and particularly in family history and genealogy, more and more people want to trace their ancestors' past. This book looks in detail at the origin, types and varieties of the British medals awarded for general war service between 1914 and '18, and gives advice on researching the awards and their recipients.

An identification guide to British Army cap badges from the Calvary and Royal Armoured Corps, the Guards, Women’s Units, Kitchener’s Army, and others. This book is a comprehensive guidebook, which will appeal to anyone with an interest in medal collecting. The book contains British Army badges from the earliest days to the present, with photographs of 800 examples. “This is an excellent text and complements the bookshelves of any researcher of the British army . . . an outstanding feat of research and I can only summarise by saying ‘Well done.’”—Military Archive Research.com

This accessible, well-organized, easy-to-use beginners guide to the world of family history is essential reading for anyone who wants to find their way into this fascinating subject. In a series of short, practical chapters Simon Fowler takes readers through all the first steps that will reveal the lives of their ancestors and the world they lived in. He looks at every aspect of research, from finding family papers and interviewing relatives, through exploring websites, archives, newspapers and directories, to all the other sources that can throw a light into the past. In a clear, straightforward way he explains how vital records of births, marriages and deaths can be used as the starting point in a sequence of eye-opening family detective work. Simon Fowlers introduction, which is founded on a career of genealogical research and writing, is an indispensable basic book for anyone entering in the field.