Circular silver campaign medal suspended from a silk ribbon with broad green outer bands, narrow black stripes, and a wide orange center stripe. The obverse features the effigy of King George VI by Thomas Humphrey Paget, while the reverse, designed by Harold Parker, symbolizes civil defense and strength at home.
The Defence Medal was awarded for non-operational service such as those in the Home Guard, Civil Defence, and military personnel serving in non-combat areas exposed to air attacks or under threat of invasion between 3 September 1939 and 8 May 1945 (or later in some Commonwealth territories).
The ribbon’s colors symbolize the green of the countryside, black for the blackout, and orange for firebombing during the Blitz.