Gulf Medal 1990-91, Private M A McHugh, Royal Army Medical Corps

Cupro-nickel medal with the crowned head of Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by the inscription, 'Elizabeth II Dei Gratia Regina Fid. Def.', on the obverse. On the reverse is an eagle above an SA80 rifle, superimposed on an anchor, representing the Royal Air Force, the Army and the Royal Navy respectively, with the medal name, 'The Gulf Medal' above, and the campaign dates, '1990-91', below. The medal is suspended from a ribbon with a wide central band of pale yellow, flanked by stripes of dark blue, red and light blue, which again, represent the three armed services of the United Kingdom.

The Gulf Medal was awarded to military personnel who served during Operation Granby in 1990-1991. The medal alone was awarded to those who completed 30 days service in the Middle East (in a defined area of operations, including Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) between 2 August 1990 and 7 March 1991. Two clasps were authorised for those who served in Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion, and for those who took part in operations to liberate Kuwait. Over 38,000 of these medals were awarded to British soldiers.