Military medals, honours and awards, 1812–1969

Use this database to search medal registers, citation cards and other records of various military awards. Many of the medals in this database were awarded to recognize active service rather than acts of bravery. Since no service files existed for the Canadian military in the 1800s, these records also serve as proof of service.

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Search tips

  • Try searching by surname only.
    • Some entries only include an initial for the first name.
  • Try variations of names or use the wildcard character (“*”) to replace the endings (e.g., type “W*” for “William” or use “Thom*” for “Thomson” or “Thompson”).
    • Names and details were entered as they appeared on the record, so spellings may vary.
  • Some names may be missing from the database if the medal was awarded after the registers were compiled.

Citation cards cannot be searched by regiment because that information was not captured when the database was created.

About the records

Here is a list of the records included in this database:

  • Military General Service Medal, War of 1812, Lower Canada (RG9 IIA5, volume 1)
    • This British medal was issued in 1848 and covered various campaigns (1793–1814), including the War of 1812 in Canada.
    • Only those still alive in 1848 were eligible to apply for the medal.
  • Military General Service Medal, War of 1812, Upper Canada (RG8, C series, volume 1202, microfilm C-3519, starts on image 978)
  • Military General Service Medal, War of 1812, First Nations Warriors (RG10, volume 264, microfilm C-12650, starts on image 857)
  • Canada General Service Medal, 1866–1870, Fenian Raids and Red River Expedition (RG9 IIA5, volumes 2 to 10, microfilms C-1881-C1863)
    • These medal registers (RG9 IIA5) include the names of Canadian and British military personnel who served in Canada in the Fenian Raids and the Red River Expedition.
    • There is also another list of the British officers who served in 1866 and 1870 (MG29 E26); that list was not indexed in this database.
    • Only those still alive in 1899 were eligible to apply for the medal.
  • Egypt Medal, 1882–1889 (MG13, WO 100, volume 68, microfilm C-12585, starts on image 330)
  • North West Canada Medal, 1885 (RG9 IIA5, volume 11, microfilm C-1863, starts on image 386)
    • Some men received their medal after the register was compiled, and so their names do not appear in the volumes indexed in this database (RG9 IIA5).
  • North West Canada Medal, 1885, Transport Service (RG24, volume 5916, file HQ51-4-64, volume 4)
    • In 1945, surviving members of the 1885 Transport Service were considered eligible for the North West Canada Medal, by Order in Council (PC1945-2794, 19 April 1945).
    • There is also another list of the British officers who served in 1866 and 1870 (MG29 E26); that list was not indexed in this database.
    • The names of those men were not recorded in a medal register. They appear in the following document, which is the reference cited in the database: RG24, volume 5916, file HQ51-4-64, vol. 4, 4 March 1952 [PDF 623 KB].
  • North West Canada Medal, 1885, North West Mounted Police Recipients (RG9 IIA5, volume 12, microfilm C-1863, starts on image 564)
  • Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal, 1902–1950 (RG9 IIA5, volume 16)
  • Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal, 1913–1916 (RG9 IIA5, volumes 18 and 19)
  • Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration; Victoria Decoration, 1902–1945 (RG9 IIA5, volume 20, microfilm C-6770)
  • Honours and Awards Citation Cards, 1900–1969 (Accession 2004-01505-5, volumes 1 to 75)
    • These relate mostly to the First World War and Second World War.
    • This database includes specific conduct medals, awards and decorations, such as Mentioned-in-Despatches, the Military Medal or Military Cross, and the Distinguished Service Order.
    • This database does not include service and campaign medals, such as the British War Medal, the Victory Medal, or the 1914–1915 Star.
    • Not all cards explain why an honour or award was granted. For example, after March 1918, commanding officers no longer provided specific details when recommending soldiers for the Military Medal.
    • The citation cards relate only to the Canadian Army. For records related to the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy, consult the links the Other Sources section below.
    • “L.G.” refers to the London Gazette and “C.G.” refers to the Canada Gazette. These publications listed military awards, with citations included for acts of gallantry and meritorious service. Both gazettes are available online:

Other places to look

Archival sources

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) holds other records relating to medals, honours, awards and Coronation Contingents that are not included in this database.

Most of those references can be found in:

  • Department of Militia and Defence (Record Group 9)
  • National Defence (Record Group 24)
  • Veterans Affairs (Record Group 38)

Use Collection search to find the records. Enter keywords such as a surname, the word “medal,” and the reference information (e.g., “Henderson medal RG38”).

Many files relating to medals do not include an individual’s name in the title. Some contain only general correspondence or administrative records, while others may include lists of names or correspondence from or about specific individuals. Try searching with keywords, (e.g., “RG24 Distinguished Conduct Medal”).

The Department of the Secretary of State of Canada (Record Group 6) includes the Honours and Awards sub-series (volumes 359 to 383). Consult the finding aid for a list of volume titles and dates.

For South African medals, consult the South African War, 1899–1902 – Service Files, Medals and Land Applications database page.

Published sources

Use our Aurora catalogue to search for books relating to medals. Try a basic search or search by subject keyword to start. Use keywords such as:

  • Military decorations Canada
  • Name of Force Canada
  • Armed Forces or Canadian Expeditionary Force or Canada Navy or Canada Air Force Decorations and or Medals

Other sources

Access the records

Records that are digitized

If a digitized image is available in Collection search, it will appear in the record display. If the image does not appear in the viewer, check the About the records section for more info. Citation cards are available online at Ancestry, a subscription-based website available for free in person at LAC and many public libraries.

Records that are not digitized

For records that are not digitized, you will need to see them in person. If you cannot visit us in person, you may want to order copies or hire a researcher.

Related links