a green letter "C" on the respective 1914 Star medal roll for their unit. When the ribbon bar alone was worn, recipients of the clasp to the medal wore a small silver rosette button on the ribbon bar. Recipients The 1914 Star was principally an Army award, although some Royal Navy personnel who served ashore at Antwerp during the qualifying period received the medal. A few women who served in France and Belgium as nurses or auxiliaries during the qualifying period were also awarded the medal. The majority of recipients were officers and men of the pre-war British army, specifically the British Expeditionary Force, also known as the Old Contemptibles, who landed in France soon after the outbreak of the War and who took part in the Retreat from Mons, hence the medal's nickname "Mons Star". Approximately 1,000 were awarded to members of the Royal Flying Corps, of whom 300 received the clasp. There were 160 awarded to members of the 2nd Canadian Stationary Hospital who served with the British Expeditionary Force, whose deployment commenced on 6 November 1914. A more significant quantity were awarded to the Indian Army contingent, comprising the I Corps (British India) and the Indian Cavalry Corps. A total of 11,487 were issued by the Admiralty, with 435 issued to the Royal Naval Air Service. The 1914 Star was never awarded singly. Recipients also received the British War Medal and Victory Medal, but did not qualify for the very similar 1914–15 Star since no person could receive both Stars. The only difference is that the later award bears '1914-15' on the central scroll instead of '1914'; the ribbon is the same. These three medals, with either Star included, were sometimes irreverently referred to as "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred", after three comic strip characters, a dog, a penguin and a rabbit, which were popular in the immediate post-war era. Description The medal is a four-pointed star of bright bronze, ensigned with a crown, with a height of ( with the ring suspension included) and a width of . The medal and suspension assembly was struck in one piece. Obverse The obverse has two crossed gladii (swords) with their blades upwards, the points and hilts of which form what might appear to be four additional points to the star. The swords are overlaid by a wreath of oak leaves, with the Royal Cypher of George V at the