1939-45 Star awarded to Sergeant Herbert Chambers, Royal Armoured Corps and Special Boat Service

Campaign medal made of copper zinc alloy in the form of a six-pointed star. On the obverse, the royal cypher, 'GRI VI', for King George VI, surmounted by a crown, with a circlet inscribed with, 'The 1939-1945 Star'. The medal is suspended from a dark blue, red and light blue ribbon.

Chambers joined the Army in 1932, serving in India for four years. At the outbreak of World War Two, while serving in the Royal Armoured Corps in the Near East, Chambers was recruited into the special forces. Following victory in North Africa SBS and Long Range Desert Group personnel were transferred to the Aegean where they took part in a series of raids. In July 1944 during a raid on Crete Chambers led one of a number of demolition teams attacking German fuel and ammunition dumps. SBS units went on to serve in Italy and take part in the liberation of Greece and it was in the latter campaign that Chambers won his Military Medal. Chambers went on to be mentioned in despatches in 1945.

The 1939-45 Star was bestowed upon personnel who had seen service on one or more of a specific list of mainly overseas operational theatres. It was the first of eight very similar bronze campaign stars to be issued. The ribbon has three equal stripes of dark blue, red and light blue, symbolising the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force respectively.

From a World War Two medal group awarded to Sergeant Herbert Chambers, Royal Armoured Corps and Special Boat Service.