Ribbon
A wide central stripe of green bisected by a central narrow yellow stripe to represent the forests and beaches of the Pacific, flanked by one stripe of dark blue and one of light blue with red edges to represent the three services. Worn with the dark blue stripe furthest from the left shoulder.
Criteria
Star awarded for 1 or more days’ service in Malaya or Singapore between the above dates. Those serving in China, Hong Kong or Sumatra between certain other specified dates will also qualify.
Naval personnel must qualify first for the 1939-45 Star before the Pacific Star can be awarded. It is then awarded for service at sea in the Pacific within certain specified boundaries.
Certain special conditions apply governing award of the Star for those Naval personnel entering service less than 6 months before the end of the qualifying period.
RAF air crew engaged in operations against the enemy will also qualify provided that at least one operational sortie has been completed.
Campaign History
At the same time as the campaigns in Africa and Italy, British and American forces were also fighting the Japanese in the Pacific.
This campaign began on 8 December 1941, the day after the Japanese bombed the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. It took place in the sea and air of the Pacific and on the ground with the British defending Malaya and Singapore from Japanese invasion. The Japanese quickly gained superiority in the Pacific and managed to invade Malaya, Singapore, Burma and the Philippines with relative ease.
The campaign on land ended on 15 February 1942 with defeat for the British when Singapore fell and tens of thousands of servicemen were taken prisoner of war by the Japanese. The campaign at sea continued until 2 September 1945.