My father served in the Royal Navy both on surface ships and submarines. He served in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Suez. Among his medals he has an Africa Star with a clasp reading "8th Army". Can anybody tell me why a sailor has an "8th Army" medal clasp?
https://www.gov.uk/medals-campaigns-descriptions-and-eligibility Scroll down for Africa Star entitlement Lesley
My father served in the Royal Navy, mainly on submarines during the war. There are photographs of him in Cairo and Malta. He has an Africa Star which has a clasp with "8th Army" on it. Does anybody know if it was usual for naval personnel to have this clasp?
Medals: campaigns, descriptions and eligibility The Africa Star is awarded to personnel who served in North Africa, Malta or Egypt between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943. To apply for the Africa Star, you must have: 1 day of operational service in the army 1 day of operational service as ground crew in the RAF 1 operational sortie as aircrew in the RAF 1 day afloat in the Mediterranean in the Royal Navy The colours of the ribbon symbolise the desert and the 3 services. Africa Star - Wikipedia The 8th Army Clasp was awarded for service with the Eighth Army between 23 October 1942 and 12 May 1943 inclusive. An Arabic numeral "8" is worn on the ribbon bar in undress to denote the award of this clasp. TD Maybe he stepped ashore at somewhere like Torbruk as he helped offload supplies - what does his service record show?
