Medal; 1914 'Mons' Star with bar issued to Private Walter John Cornell of the Army Service Corps, circa 1914

Following the outbreak of the First World War, many bus drivers joined the Army Service Corps (A.S.C.) and were posted to France and Belgium to transport troops to the Front. This medal was issued to all officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the British and Indian Expeditionary Forces who served in France or Belgium between 5 August 1914 and midnight on 22/23 November of that year.
Private Walter John Cornell drove a B-type bus in France in 1914. This medal was awarded to him in 1917 and the bar added in October 1919, denoting that Mr Cornell had been under fire during this two-year period. The medal's official title is the 1914 Star, but its popular nickname 'Mons' refers to the famous retreat from Mons in Belgium.