Medals

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India General Service Medal 1854 with Perak Clasp
India General Service Medal 1854 with Perak Clasp

FIBIS resources

  • Medals for Service in India. A talk given by Allan Stanistreet, FIBIS Member and Collector of Medals at the FIBIS meeting on 7 November 2009 is available to download or listen to. The podcast is the complete talk, but an extended version that includes the question and answer session at the end of the talk is available for FIBIS members only in the FIBIS Social Network
  • Medal rolls FIBIS database
  • Image from the FIBIS Gallery: Discharge papers of Alfred Cecil Gregory who served in the 5th Bn East Surrey Regiment in various parts of India during WWI. The first page shows he was eligible for six medals, (one for subsequent service in Persia) including the two Territorial Force medals. Click on the ”Photo size” icon on the top left hand side of the image to enlarge.

Military medals

See Medal Rolls for details of records of names of recipients, including those in the India Office Records.

Campaign medal list

List of campaign medals issued for British India related military actions.

Nb. Years given are the date the action occured, not the date the medal was first issued as in some cases this was decades later.

Year Medal Action associated with Issued to
1790-92 Mysore Campaign Silver medal Various battles from 3rd Mysore War British & HEIC Armies
1795-96 Capture of Ceylon Various battles from War against Dutch in Ceylon British & HEIC Armies
1803 - 1826 Army of India Medal Various battles from 2nd Maratha War, 3rd Maratha War, Gurkha War, 1st Burma War British & HEIC Armies
1839 Ghuznee Medal Battle of Ghazni 1839
1842 Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul Medals 1st Afghan War - Battle of Ghazni 1842, Battle of Kabul Sept 1842 British & HEIC Armies
1842 Jellalabad Medal End of the Siege of Jalalabad
1842 Defence of Kelat-i-Ghilzie medal Siege of Khelat-i-Ghilzai HEIC Army
1842 1st China War Medal 1st China War British & HEIC Armies
1843 Scinde Medal Sind Campaign British & HEIC Armies
1843 Gwalior Star Gwalior Campaign British & HEIC Armies
1845/46 Sutlej Medal 1st Sikh War British & HEIC Armies
1848/49 Punjab Medal 2nd Sikh War British & HEIC Armies
1854 - 1895 India General Service Medal Pegu, Persian War, Early NWF Actions, Ambela Campaign, Duar War, Lushai Exp., Perak War, British & Indian Armies
Jowaki Expedition, Naga Hills Exp., 3rd Burma War, Sikkim Exp., Black Mountain Exp. 1888,
Chin Lushai, Black Mountain Exp. 1891, Manipur War, Hunza Nagar Campaign, Chin Lushai Exp.
Chin Hills Exp., Kachin Hills 1892-93, Mahsud Expedition 1894-95
1857-58 Indian Mutiny Medal Indian Mutiny British & HEIC Armies and Royal Navy Sailors who fought with the Naval Brigade
1857-60 2nd China War Medal 2nd China War
1878-80 Afghanistan Medal 2nd Afghan War British & Indian Armies
1880 Kabul to Kandahar Star 310 mile march with General Roberts (part of 2nd Afghan War) British & Indian Armies
1882-89 Egypt Medal Egyptian Campaign 1882 British & Indian Armies
1895 - 1902 India Medal NWF Campaigns inc. Chitral Campaign, Malakand Field Expedition, Tirah Campaign, Tochi Valley Exp. British & Indian Armies
1900 China War 3rd China War British & Indian Armies
1903-4 Tibet Medal Tibet Expedition British & Indian Armies
1908 - 1935 India General Service Medal Various NWF actions inc 3rd Afghan War, Waziristan Campaigns
1914-1915 WW1: 1914-15 Star Issued to all British and Colonial forces who rendered service in the WW1 during 1914-15 on any front including in Mesopotamia. All British and Colonial Forces.
1914-1920 WW1: British War Medal Issued to all British and Colonial forces who rendered service in the WW1 including in Mesopotamia and NWF. All British and Colonial Forces and Civilian Labourers.
1918-1962 General Service Medal (1918) Issued with 18 clasps for actions to 1962, including Iraq 1919-1920, Kurdistan 1919 and 1923, North West Persia 1920 and South Persia 1918-1919. British and Indian Armies (the latter prior to 1947) and local forces.
1936 - 1939 India General Service Medal Various NWF actions with clasps for North West Frontier 1936–37 and North West Frontier 1937–39
1939-45 WW2: India Service Medal Awarded to the Indian Military Forces for 3 years of non-operational service in India, and is equivalent to the WW2 British Defence Medal. British & Indian Armies
1941-45 WW2: Burma Star Awarded for campaigns in Burma and Pacific arena with Pacific clasp. British & Indian Armies, Royal Navy and Indian Navy.
1941-45 WW2: Pacific Star Awarded for operational service in the Pacific Theatre between 8 December 1941 and 2 September 1945, and also for certain specified service in China, Hong-Kong, Malaya and Sumatra. British & Indian Armies, Royal Navy and Indian Navy.

First World War medals

Some medals, such as the British War Medal and the Victory Medal were issued by the Government of India.[1] These medals were produced at the Calcutta Mint, and may have a different appearance to the standard British issue. The British War Medal has a larger suspender claw indicating a Calcutta Mint production.[2] The Victory Medals produced at the Calcutta Mint may appear duller than standard British issue.[3]

For the India General Service Medal 1908 - 1935, clasp Afghanistan NWF 1919, it appears that those still in India at the time the medal was issued, were issued medals by the Government of India. If the bottom "claw" which attaches the medal disc to the suspension is a "double" one, this feature generally indicates an Indian issued medal.[4]

Non-campaign medals and awards

Medal name Awarded between Reason
Order of British India 1837 - 1947 Indian Army officers for long and faithful service
Delhi Durbar Medal 1911 Certain attendees of the Coronation Durbar for George V
Indian Distinguished Service Medal
Illustration
1907 - 1947 Distinguished service (Indian soldiers/police)
Indian Meritorious Service Medal

(for Europeans of Indian Army)

1848- 1873 Long and meritorious service (European non-commissioned officers)
Indian Meritorious Service Medal 1888-1947 Long and meritorious service (Indian non-commissioned officers in the Indian Army).
Indian Order of Merit 1837 - 1947 Gallantry (Indian soldiers)

See also:

Good Conduct Badges In the British Army

The Long Service & Good Conduct Medal (LS&GCM) is a medal awarded by the British to members of the British Armed Forces who have completed 15 years (12 years for Officers) of service with exemplary conduct.

Civil medals and awards

Medal name Awarded between Reason
Order of the Star of India Illustration 1861 - 1947 For services to the Indian Empire
Kaisar-i-Hind Medal 1900 - 1947 Civilians with distinguished service in the advancement of the interests of the Raj
Order of the Crown of India 1878 - 1947 Women only - British princesses or the wives/relatives of Indian Royalty or those holding the top state offices.
Order of the Indian Empire 1878 - 1947 Reward for British and Indian officials

Temperance medals

External links

Historical books online

The Medal Collector: A Guide to Naval, Military, Air-Force, and Civil Medals and Ribbons by Stanley C Johnson 1921 Archive.org. Includes Indian medals.
An auction of the Brian Ritchie collection of H.E.I.C. and British India medals, part II. [03/02/2005] by Dix Noonan Webb. With many photographs of medals. Archive.org
An auction of the Brian Ritchie collection of H.E.I.C. and British India medals, part III. [09/23/2005] by Dix Noonan Webb. With many photographs of medals. Archive.org

References

  1. charlie962 MIC indian army Lt J F Petrie North Waziristan Militia Great War Forum 20 March 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  2. RobW. Indian Army Victory Medals post 20, page 1 Gentleman's Military Interest Club Forum 22 February 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  3. Bilco et al. Indian Army Victory Medals page 2, Gentleman's Military Interest Club Forum 13 August 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  4. clive_hughes. india generl service medal afghanistan 1919 Great War Forum post 24, 7 March 2019, Retrieved 9 March 2019.