Campaign Service Medal 1962 (CSM)

This medal, issued to all three services, is the only campaign award still on issue to the British forces. It was instituted in 1964, and replaced the Army/RAF and Royal Navy issues to coincide with the new unified Ministry of Defence. To date, seven clasps have been issued. Those for "Borneo" and "Malay Peninsular" were awarded for services during the Indonesian Confrontation, and whilst the former is common to all three services, the latter is scarce to Army personnel. Medals with one or both of these clasps are sometimes found to personnel of the Australian and New Zealand forces who served alongside British troops; awards to native policemen and trackers are also encountered. The next two clasps, which can again be grouped together, were for "South Arabia" and "Radfan". The former clasp was awarded for services in Aden state, whilst the latter, scarcer, clasp was for services in the mountainous area to the north.The clasp for "South Vietnam" is the rarest of the series, only about 70 being issued to members of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam for services between 1962 and 1964. The clasp was replaced by the Vietnam Medal of 1964. Probably the commonest clasp in terms of numbers issued is that for "Northern Ireland", which has been awarded since August 1969 and is still on issue. It is found to members of all three services, as well as to auxiliary units such as the UDR, MOD Police and AFS. About 120,000 of these clasps have been issued so far. The final clasp, that for "Dhofar", was awarded for services in Oman between 1969 and 1976 in support of the Sultans' Armed Forces in operations against Yemeni rebels. This clasp is very scarce, and is usually found to RAF personnel, although various specialist teams and members of the SAS also received the clasp. The maximum verified number of clasps seen on one medal is five, and the medal was not issued without a clasp. Recipients who have been mentioned in dispatches wear a bronze oakleaf on the ribbon. The naming is always in small, impressed capitals, and the ribbon is of purple with green edges.

Borneo

Radfan

South Arabia

Malay Peninsular

South Vietnam

Northern Ireland

Dhofar

[Source: Medals Year Book 1981 ]