British War Medal 1939-45 awarded to Gunner John West, Royal Artillery

Circular, cupro-nickel campaign medal with, on the obverse. crowned head of King George VI, with the inscription, 'Georgivs VI D: G: BR: Omn: Rex et Indiae Imp:'; on the reverse, a lion standing on the body of a double-headed beast with the heads of a dragon and eagle, representing Germany and Japan, with the dates '1939' and '1945'. The reverse also bears the initials, 'ECRP', for the designer, Edward Carter Preston. The ribbon has a central narrow red stripe, flanked by narrow white stripes, broad red stripes at either edge with two intervening blue stripes.

The British War Medal 1939-45 was awarded to all full time service personnel of the Commonwealth Armed Forces wherever their service during World War Two (1939-1945) was rendered, provided they had completed 28 days service between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945.

West was one of the 85,000 British troops taken prisoner by the Japanese at the fall of Singapore in 1942. He was forced to work on the infamous Burma-Siam railway, known as the 'Death Railway' because of its high cost in lives and money. West died in Burma while working on its construction in October 1943, aged 28 and was awarded this medal in recognition of his service.