I assisted my father in claiming his father's war medals. It just took a letter to the address in Scarecrow's links asking them to check what medals he was entitled to and if they had been issued. Include his service number if known.
It took a couple of months but he got 2 medals in the post along with the ribbons. I was at the closed secret Wilts airbase at the time and spoke nicely to the tailor who mounted the medals for us.