Fourteen clasps were awarded, the medal never being awarded without a clasp. The maximum awarded to any one individual appears to have been six. There is documentary evidence of a 6-clasp GSM. Clasps are worn in the order that the recipient qualified for them, not the date of the relevant Army Order.
Cyprus 1963–64 : :As a result of the 2012 Independent Medal Review conducted by
Sir John Holmes, from 1 March 2015 this clasp was awarded to those servicemen who served in Cyprus from 21 December 1963 to 26 March 1964. Personnel who have served on a tour of duty after this time receive the
United Nations Medal as part of the
United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, who took over peacekeeping duties from 1964.
Borneo : :Awarded to British, Australian and New Zealand land, sea and air forces who fought Indonesian soldiers, marines and irregular elements in Sabah (North Borneo) and Sarawak in East Malaysia, during
Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation including
Operation Claret. Eligibility required 30 days service or, for aircrew, 1 operational sortie between 24 December 1962 and 11 August 1966.
Radfan : :Awarded to service personnel who served for at least 14 days between 25 April and 31 July 1964
South Arabia :This campaign during the
Aden Emergency is related to the Radfan Campaign, because both were Egyptian-inspired attempts to end the British presence in
Aden and end the embryonic
Federation of South Arabia. This 3-year long campaign saw numerous terrorist attacks on both civilian and military targets. In both Radfan and Aden, the British Army suffered 90 personnel killed and 510 wounded. 1,200 to the
Royal Australian Navy and 300 to the
Royal New Zealand Navy, with about 6,500 to the RAF. The bulk of the Army units present were drawn from the
Brigade of Gurkhas.
South Vietnam :This clasp for service during the
Vietnam War was instituted by Royal approval on 16 December 1965 for "members of our Australian Armed Forces who qualify by participation in operations in defence of the Republic of Vietnam as from 24 December 1962, and to a date to be determined...". Between 1963 and 1965, at least 68 members of the
Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) and 232 members of the
RAAF Transport Flight Vietnam qualified for the clasp. However, a decision in 1966 relating to the institution and award of the
Vietnam Medal led to the stripping of the award from the RAAF personnel. A Royal Warrant dated 8 June 1968 retrospectively changed the qualifying periods to: :Between 24 December 1962 and 29 May 1964: :* 30 days' service in ships operating in inland waters or off the Vietnamese coast. :* 1 day in the service of a land unit. :* 1 operational sortie. :* 30 days' service on an official visit. :For service after 29 May 1964, personnel were awarded the Vietnam Medal. Thus, only 68 clasps were issued, and all 68 went to AATTV members. :(the above statement is incorrect). :The clasp was also awarded to military staff at the UK embassy Saigon, and UK citizens serving within ADF.
Northern Ireland : :This clasp was instituted for award to personnel involved in the various operations in
Northern Ireland during
The Troubles. :The qualifying period is a minimum of 30 days' service between 14 August 1969 and 31 July 2007. ===
Dhofar=== :In 1965 the mountain tribesmen of
Dhofar, a province of Oman, rose in revolt against the regime of Sultan Sa'ib bin Taimur. The revolt worsened in 1967 when the British left the adjacent
State of Aden, with the new communist government in
Yemen providing an important base for the rebels. With the Sultan clearly losing the war, his son staged a coup on 23 July 1970, after which he expanded the armed forces with British assistance. :The British
Special Air Service (SAS) ostensibly provided training for local forces (BATT), but in reality was an operational fighting unit, the
Royal Artillery installed mortar locating radars and a sound ranging base at Salalah, the
Royal Engineers provided military and civil engineering, and RAF officers provided the backbone of the new Sultan's air force. The
RAF Regiment, as well as airfield ground staff and the
Royal Signals, were a continuous presence at the air base in Salalah from 1970 to 1976. Medical support was provide by Field Surgical Teams (FSTs) of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC). In addition, many British officers were seconded to the Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF). Jordan and Iran also provided assistance. :During this period, the British forces suffered 24 killed and 55 wounded.
Mine Clearance, Gulf of Suez :For 30 days accumulated service in the Gulf of Suez between 15 August 1984 and 15 October 1984. launched Operation Intense Look, a minesweeping operation involving more than 46 ships.
Persian Gulf :For 30 days service between 17 November 1986 (first task group being led by
HMS Nottingham) and 31 October 1988 in the
Persian Gulf during the
Iran–Iraq War. Royal Navy Ships tasked to the
Armilla patrol escorted civilian shipping through the Straits of Hormuz whilst under serious threat from Iranian Forces. During this period 178 ships were attacked, 13,000,000 gross tons suffered damage. To combat extensive Iranian mining of the area the Task Group also carried out mine countermeasures in the Persian Gulf up to 28 February 1989.
Air Operations Iraq :Awarded to
RAF personnel, some members of the Army (mainly Royal Engineers and attached personnel) and to the Royal Navy for 60 days continuous or 90 days accumulated service, or six operational sorties, between 16 July 1991 and 30 April 2003 in support of the
no fly zones over Iraq and airfield repair in Iraq. Also awarded to members of the
Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) who served on the Arabian Gulf Ready Tanker (AGRT) between these dates. ==References==