Do you have your grandfather’s or another relative’s medals from the First World War?  All soldiers who served in World War One were awarded campaign medals which were automatically dispatched to their last known address or to the next of kin of deceased soldiers. You can find out more about the most common medals here.

If your ancestor served in the British Expeditionary Force at the out break of the war, they will have received the Mons Star.

All WW1 medals have the name, rank, regiment and number of the recipient inscribed on the rim of the medal. Using this information you can search military records at the National Archives or other genealogical websites to find out more about the soldiers service. This also allows medal enthusiasts to find out more about the recipients of medals which they have in their collection.

Even if you don’t have your ancestor’s medals you can find out which medals he was entitled to by searching for his Medal Index card on the National Archives website. It is free to search the catalogue but there is a charge to download documents. Find out more about the records available in this guide. It helps to know a soldier’s regiment and his number, especially if he has a common surname.

Once you have found out more about your relative, why not upload his details on to this website and help us to tell the story of Luton’s Great War.