Medal Rolls

The medals article has details of medals awarded for various military campaigns. Most of the nominal medal rolls for these awards are at the British Library. Many of the rolls are reprinted in books on the open access shelves. Details of the India Office Records' reference numbers can be found at Your Archives - Medal Rolls in the India Office Library.

FIBIS resources

Medal roll transcriptions:

• China Campaign, 1842 (Madras Artillery & Staff only) - 495 recipients of the medal for the 1st China War.
• Indian Mutiny Medal Roll (British Forces) 1857-1859 Over 50,000 names of British Army soldiers awarded medals after the Indian Mutiny, transcribed by Kevin Asplin.

See also

• Victoria Cross
• First World War - Online Records

The National Archives

Research Guides

• Medals, British armed services: campaign medals and other service medals. (Guide reference: Military Records Information 76)
• Medals, British armed services: gallantry medals. (Guide reference: Military Records Information 77)
• Medals, British armed services: gallantry medals, further information. (Guide reference: Military Records Information 78)

WO 100 Medal Rolls at the National Archives

The National Archive’s records WO 100 Medal Rolls are available to download free of charge as pdf files. These records are available on the pay site Ancestry, (refer below) but those do not have access to Ancestry may find the downloads useful. They are large pdf files, which require a broadband connection . For full details refer the National Archive’s advice page Digital microfilm

The records are mainly in respect of British Army regiments, although there are some in respect of the Indian Army. Some medals do not appear to have rolls in the WO 100 records, and appear to be only available in the India Office records at the British Library, refer above.

The catalogue entry is WO 100 Campaign Medal and Award Rolls (General Series) The following subseries have been noted , following the order of the National Archive’s Discovery catalogue

• WO 100/13. Includes India Medal, 1803-26 and Punjab, 1848-49 in the one download.
• WO 100/19 1845-1879 Includes India. Possibly Royal Artillery
• WO 100/20. India, N.W. Frontier 1849-1863
• WO 100/21A India 1849-1866
• WO 100/21B India - Chin and Kachin Hills clasp 1892-1893
• WO 100/35-39 Indian Mutiny 1857-1858
• WO 100/40-41 China 1842-1860
• WO 100/43 Abyssinia 1867-1868
• WO 100/51-53 Afghanistan 1878-1880
• WO 100/54 Includes Afghanistan 1878-1890
• WO 100/69-70 Burma 1885-1887
• WO 100/73 Burma 1887-1889
• WO 100/74 Hazara 1888, Sikkim 1888, Chin-Lughai 1888-1890
• WO 100/75 India - Burma and Lushai 1889-92, Hazara 1891, Manpur 1891, Miranzai 1891, Waziristan 1894-1902
• WO 100/78 Chitral 1895
• WO 100/84-89 India 1897-1898
• WO 100/94-99 China 1900
• WO 100/111 1897-1902 Includes Delhi Durbar
• WO 100/296-298 Queen's South Africa: Indian Army 1899-1902
• WO 100/369 King's South Africa: Indian Army 1899-1902
• WO 100/386 China 1900
• WO 100/395 Tibet 1903-1904
• WO 100/397 India General Service Medal Rolls 1909-1912 Clasp North West Frontier 1908 Clasp Abor 1911-1912
• WO 100/399 Delhi Durbar 1903
• WO 100/400 Delhi Durbar 1911
• WO 100/401 India General Service Medal with Clasp Waziristan 1921-1924
• WO 100/411- 493 1920-1935 Appear to be Indian General Service Medal
• WO 100/494-497 India General Service Medal 1930-1935 Clasps NWF 1930-31, Burma 1930-32 Mohmand 1933, NWF 1935
• WO 100/498-499 India General Service Medal 1936-1939 Clasp NWF 1936-37 Clasp NWF 1937-39 Although the implication is that all records in WO 100 are available as a download, these records do not have a download link.

British Library records

As stated above, many of the medal rolls are reprinted in books on the open access shelves at the British Library.

Catalogue references are

• Medal Rolls IOR/L/MIL/5/42-141 1799-1911 with links to the sub categories. (These records are those covered in the "Your Archives" link above, but the catalogue references are given again, as the accompanying information may be slightly different)

Additional to the catalogue references for Medal Rolls IOR/L/MIL/5/42-141 the following list contains both medal roll catalogue references and some catalogue references which do not specifically mention rolls but which may possibly contain medal rolls, listed (approximately) according to date of the military action.

• Collection 257/4 Medal rolls of men of Tennasserim or Suakin 1884 operations. IOR/L/MIL/7/11202 1888-1889
• Collection 274/25 Egyptian Medal granted by Khedive: medal rolls. IOR/L/MIL/7/12730 1897-1901
• Collection 274/31 Soudan Medal 1898: grant of to Indian contingent at Suakin 1896. IOR/L/MIL/7/12735 1899-1900
• Collection 322/9 Grant of medal for operations in British Central Africa 1894-1898, Army Order 135 of 1899. IOR/L/MIL/7/14412 1899
• Collection 132/101 Delhi Durbar 1911 medal rolls: replacement of lost medals, claims for issue of medal. IOR/L/MIL/7/5864 1911-1922
• Collection 425/1596 Medal rolls for 1914-1915 Star. IOR/L/MIL/7/18841 1919-1920
• Collection 403/68 Minor operations on North West Frontier 1914-1915: operations on or beyond frontiers of India to be regarded as part of First World War for award of 1914-1915 Star. IOR/L/MIL/7/16888 1915-1919
• Collection 425/1683 Report on operations of Bushire Field Force April 1918 to March 1919, and recommendations for rewards. IOR/L/MIL/7/18931 1919-1920
• Collection 425/1602 Honours and rewards for minor operations May 1919 to April 1920 (North West Frontier, Persia, Aden). IOR/L/MIL/7/18847 1919-1921
• Collection 89/97 Grant of India General Service Medal with Waziristan 1919-21 or Mahsud 1919-20 clasps to Royal Air Force personnel. IOR/L/MIL/7/4052 1922
• Collection 89/96 Rewards for services in connection with Malabar operations (Moplah) of 1921-1922. IOR/L/MIL/7/4051 1921-1927
• Collection 89/102 Grant of India General Service Medal with Waziristan 1921-24 clasp to Royal Air Force personnel. IOR/L/MIL/7/4056 1925-1926
• Collection 89/119 General Service Medal rolls. IOR/L/MIL/7/4074 1923-1928
• Collection 89/94 Part 1 Award of India General Service Medal for Afghan operations. IOR/L/MIL/7/4048 1920-1925
• Collection 89/94 Part 2 Award of India General Service Medal for Afghan operations. IOR/L/MIL/7/4049 1922-1927
• Collection 89/109 Grant of medal for operations ("disturbances") on North West Frontier 1930-31 and Burma 1930-31. IOR/L/MIL/7/4064 1930-1945
• Collection 89/112 Grant of war medal and clasp for Mohmand (Peshawar) operations of 1933. IOR/L/MIL/7/4067 1933-1935
• Collection 403/146 Part 1 Waziristan operations 1936-1937: recommendations for awards. IOR/L/MIL/7/16974 1937-1938
• Collection 403/146 Part 2 Waziristan operations 1937-1938: recommendations for awards. IOR/L/MIL/7/16975 1939-1940
• File 201/40 Con. General Service Medal for operations in the Aden Protectorate IOR/R/20/C/953 Jan 1940-Feb 1940
• List of recipients in India of the Imperial Service Medal, 1924-1941. Calcutta, Delhi, 1925-41 IOR/V/25/72/2 1925-1941 Annual. Lacking 1936, 1940

Medal Rolls for Indian Native Troops

The information in respect of Medal Rolls IOR/L/MIL/5/42-141 1799-1911 states that the names of Indian recipients rarely appear (except, however, in L/MIL/5/87-103). These latter records are detailed Your Archives - Medal Rolls in the India Office Library, which also lists a few entries such as L/MIL/5/60 Nominal rolls of Indian Army native troops. 1870-1878. These entries may possibly be included in the Ancestry website, refer below, but it is not known whether they are or not.

For details of some medals awarded to Indian troops in the Boer War, see Boer War

External links

• Iain Stewart’s The Victoria Cross has the following pages in relation to India:

• Honorable East India Company and Indian Army Holders of the Victoria Cross
• Burial Locations in India of Victoria Cross holders

• India General Service Medal 1895 Casualty Roll compiled by Anthony Farrington is published by Naval And Military Press. The link includes a pdf preview of the first 15 pages of the book with some names. A 1987 edition of this book is available at the British Library. The book is available to purchase through Amazon.co.uk from the FIBIS Shop
• Kevin Asplin’s excellent British Medals Website contains transcriptions of the following Medal Rolls

• Sutlej Campaign Medal Rolls 1845-1846
• Burma 1887-1889 - Transcribed from WO 100/73 series at The National Archives
• India General Service Medal Rolls Punjab Campaigns 1895-1902 and 1897-1898
• 9th Lancers Afghan Medal Roll1879-1881
• Army of India – Royal Scots Medal Roll

• Dix Noonan Webb Medals have a (free) Medal Rolls search facility for

• Army of India Medal Roll (1799-1826) compiled by Colin Message
• Indian Mutiny Medal Roll - British Forces (1857-1859) compiled by Kevin Asplin

• The Fee Paying Website "Ancestry" now hosts
  • UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949, based on the National Archives records WO 100 "This database contains lists of more than 2.3 million officers, enlisted personnel and other individuals entitled to medals and awards commemorating their service in campaigns and battles for the British Army between 1793 and 1949" Campaigns in India are included - but not WWI or WWII medal and award rolls. WWI medal information is available in the next collection.
  • British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 Based on records from the Army Medal Office WWI Medal Index Cards. "The Medal Index Cards collection is the most complete listing of individuals who fought in the British Army in WWI, containing approximately 90% of soldiers’ names"
  • UK, Naval Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1972 Based on the National Archives records ADM 171. "The rolls include medals awarded for British campaigns and service in Europe, India, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and elsewhere during the height of the British Empire and into the 20th century. This database also includes medal rolls from the First and Second World Wars".
• India List post by 'Tim B' dated 25 July 2012 which indicates that the medal rolls for the Commissariat Department in the HEIC and Indian Army are to be found at the British Library and are different to the medal rolls for the Commissariat Department of the British Army.
• Long Service and Good Conduct Awards, Registers: WO 102 are available to download (free of cost) as pdf files from the The National Archives Documents Online: Digital Microfilm, Registers of candidates noted for, and recipients of, the Long Service and Good Conduct awards between 1831 and 1953.
  • Transcription of the Long Service & Good Conduct medal register for the Royal Artillery (including RA, RFA, RGA & RHA) for 1902-12 . The List includes name, year of issue, rank and regimental number. The Asplin Military History Resources
• Details of the book Indian Order Of Merit Historical Records 1837 - 1947 Volume One 1837 – 1860 by Cliff Parfet and Sqn Ldr Rana TS Chhina (Retd), published by the United Service Institution of India. "There are two substantial nominal indexes. The first lists 2,700 Indian officers and other ranks of the H.E.I.C. Army, the majority of these being recipients of the I.O.M. The second lists over 900 British officers and other ranks, and civilians, who were somehow or other involved in I.O.M. actions" This book is available at the British Library
• Victorian Wars Forum thread which includes reference to the service of the Surma Valley Light Horse in the Manipur Expedition of 1891 which led to the award of the India General Service Medal, 1854-95 with the clasp ‘N. E. Frontier 1891’. A later post advises the definitive work is the book by William Henry Sidney Wood Through Fifty Years: A History of the Surma Valley Light Horse available at the British Library which includes a list of medals awarded.
• Details of The Whitewash Brigade: The Hong Kong Plague of 1894 “includes all known recipients of the Hong Kong Plague Medal”. www.dixonsmedals.co.uk. Available at the British Library