Eight different campaign stars were issued for World War II. It was decided that the maximum number of stars that could be earned by any one person was five, while those who qualified for more received a clasp of the appropriate star. Only one clasp per ribbon was permitted which was the first to be earned after qualifying for that star. Thus the stars could bear the following clasps:

The ribbon for each medal is believed to have been designed by King George VI personally and have symbolic significance in each case.