This second edition of Peter Ducker's best-selling 'British Military Medals' traces the history of medals and gallantry awards from Elizabethan times to the modern day, and it features an expert account of their design and production. Campaign and gallantry medals are a key to understanding - and exploring - British and imperial military history, and to uncovering the careers and exploits of individual soldiers. In a series of succinct and well-organised chapters he explains how medals originated, to whom they were awarded and how the practice of giving medals has developed over the centuries. His work is a guide for collectors and for local and family historians who want to learn how to use medals to discover the history of military units and the experiences of individuals who served in them. SELLING POINTS: . Fully revised second edition of Peter Ducker's best-selling guide to military medals . Concise introduction to British campaign medals, ling-service awards and gallantry awards . Features information on newly available books, rolls, registers and internet sources ILLUSTRATIONS: 100 colour