Operational Service Medal for Sierra Leone

Award

Operational Service Medal for Sierra Leone
Operational Service Medal for Sierra Leone
Type	Military Campaign Medal
Awarded for	Campaign service
Description	Silver disk, 36mm diameter.
Presented by	United Kingdom
Eligibility	Members of the United Kingdom armed forces
Campaign(s)	Sierra Leone 2000–02
Clasps	Nil issued
Established	2002

Ribbon bar With rosette for Operations Barras and Maidenley

The Operational Service Medal for Sierra Leone is a campaign medal established in 2000 by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom for participation in the British military intervention during and after the Sierra Leone Civil War, from May 2000 to July 2002.

Operational Service Medal

The Operational Service Medal (OSM) was established in 1999 to replace the General Service Medal (1962) for all new operations. A separate medal of the same design is awarded for each campaign, differentiated by a distinct ribbon. It has been awarded for four separate campaigns:

Afghanistan (from 11 September 2001)
Sierra Leone (May 2000 – July 2002)
Democratic Republic of Congo (June – September 2003)
Iraq and Syria (Dates to be confirmed)

From 2008, British service personnel could receive the General Service Medal (2008) for participation in smaller operations that do not justify the award of the Operational Service Medal.

Medal

The Operational Service Medal for Sierra Leone is silver and circular in shape.
The obverse shows the crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID. DEF.
The reverse bears the Union Flag, surrounded by the inscription FOR OPERATIONAL SERVICE and the four major points of the compass with, between the points, four Coronets: Royal (top left), Naval (top right), Mural (Army, bottom left), and Astral (RAF, bottom right).

Clasp

No clasp was issued. A large South Atlantic Medal type silver rosette is worn on the medal for operational service within Sierra Leone during Operations Maidenly and Barras. A smaller rosette is worn on the ribbon bar.

Ribbon

The ribbon consists of a broad central red stripe, flanked each side by a stripe of navy blue and one of light blue, to represent the three services, with an outer stripe of green to reflect the jungle landscape of Sierra Leone.

Qualifying criteria

The length of service to qualify for the medal is determined by the mission participated in:

1 day of service on Operations Barras or Maidenley
14 days continuous or accumulated service on Operation Palliser
30 days continuous or accumulated service on Operations Basilica or Silkman

The precise dates of each operation varied, but all were within the period 5 May 2000 to 31 July 2002.

The medal was also awarded for service in the wider Joint Operational Area which included Senegal, Gibraltar and offshore support ships such as RFA Argus.

There is no minimum qualifying period for those decorated for operational service (including a mention in despatches and a Queen’s Commendation), while the period could be reduced for those killed or wounded on operations.

Qualifying service for the Operational Service Medal counts towards the period required to receive the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal.

British forces serving with United Nations peace keeping missions in Sierra Leone did not qualify for the Operational Service Medal, but instead received the United Nations Medal with the ribbon for either UNOMSIL (1 June 1998 to 30 September 1999) or UNAMSIL (from 1 October 1999).

References

John Mussell (ed). Medal Yearbook 2015. p. 198. Published by Token Publishing Ltd. Honiton, Devon.
^ "Medals: campaigns, descriptions and eligibility". Ministry of Defence Medal Office. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
"Medals: campaigns, descriptions and eligibility, Announcements Operational Service Medal Iraq & Syria". UK MOD. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
"Honours and Awards in the Armed Forces (JSP 761) (V5.0 Oct 16). Para 8.08, page 8-2". MoD Joint Services Publication. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
"Honours and Awards in the Armed Forces (JSP 761) (V5.0 Oct 16). Page 8A–6". MoD Joint Services Publication. Retrieved 2018-02-19.

v t e 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 War	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 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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