Catalogue description War Office: Military Secretary's Honours and Awards Branch: Exchange of Army Decorations between Britain and the Allies Registers

The exchange of honours, decorations and medals between the victorious allies during and after the First World War was extensive. The series consists of 29 books into which have been pasted the running records of British awards to personnel of Allied armies and Allied awards to personnel of the British and Dominion armies.

Allied awards to British and Dominion armies were with one exception published in the London Gazette under the heading "Foreign Orders - King's permission to accept and wear", and it is from these that the pasted entries are cut. The announcements are from 'advance copies' of the Gazette and contain some information on units which was removed for security reasons before publication. Manuscript annotations record disposal of insignia, etc. Permission to accept and wear Russian decorations was not always gazetted but official lists of Army personnel who received un-gazetted Russian awards are included in this series.

Likewise, British awards to the allied armies were announced in a series of printed War Office Lists, numbered 1-74, issued at intervals between 1916 and 1922 "for official use only", and it is from these that the pasted entries are cut.

War Office, Military Secretary, 1904-1964

From 1992 Ministry of Defence