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Tag: 19th Century British Campaign Medals

The Baltic Medal

The Baltic Medal is a campaign medal issued to officers and men who served in Baltic Sea operations in the Baltic theatre of the Crimean War.

The Baltic Medal is a campaign medal issued to officers and men of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, and Royal Sappers and Miners who served in Baltic Sea operations against Russia in the Baltic theatre of the Crimean War between March 1854 and August 1855.

The medal was approved in 1856 and covered primarily naval actions – although it was also awarded to 106 men of the Royal Sappers and Miners who were landed to place demolition charges against Russian fortifications at Bomarsund and Sveaborg.

No clasps were authorized for the Baltic medal.

The Baltic Medal Design

The Baltic medal is a circular silver medal measuring 36 millimeters (1.4 in) in diameter. It was designed by Leonard Charles Wyon.

The obverse depicts the diademed head of Queen Victoria with the legend VICTORIA REGINA, designed by William Wyon. The reverse shows a seated figure of Britannia holding a trident with the fortresses at Bomarsund and Sveaborg behind. Above is the word BALTIC and below the dates 1854-1855.

The ribbon measures 31.7 millimeters (1.25 in) wide, and it’s yellow with light blue edges, reversing the colours of the Crimea Medal ribbon.

The Crimea Medal

The Crimea Medal is a campaign medal issued to officers and men of British units who fought in the Crimean War of 1854–56 against Russia.

The Crimea Medal is a campaign medal issued to officers and men of British units (land and naval) who had fought in the Crimean War of 1854–56 against Russia. The medal was approved on 15 December 1854.

The Crimea medal was awarded with the British version of the Turkish Crimea Medal, and some troops were issued with the Sardinian version instead. The Crimea medal was also presented to certain members of allied French forces.

Five clasps were authorized:

  • Alma. For the battle of 20 September 1854.
  • Balaklava. For the battle of 25 October 1854.
  • Inkerman. For the battle of 5 November 1854.
  • Sebastopol. For the siege that lasted from 11 September 1854 to 9 September 1855. Anyone who received the Balaklava or Inkerman clasps was also awarded this bar.
  • Azoff. For the Naval expedition in the Sea of Azoff from 25 May to 22 September 1855. It was awarded only to Royal Navy personnel.

The Crimea Medal Design

The Crimea Medal consists of a 36mm diameter silver disk. The obverse displays the diademed head of Queen Victoria and the legend “VICTORIA REGINA” with the date 1854 below.

The reverse shows a depiction of a standing Roman warrior about to receive a laurel crown from a flying figure of victory, the word CRIMEA appearing on the left.

The medal is notable for its unusually ornate clasps, each in the form of an oak leaf with an acorn at each end. This is a style not used on any other British medal. The ornate, floriated, swiveling suspender is also unique to the Crimea Medal. The ribbon measures 27 millimeters (1.1 in) wide and is pale blue with yellow edges.

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The South Africa Medal (1854)

. The South Africa Medal (1853) is a campaign medal awarded to officers and men who served in the Cape of Good Hope during the Xhosa Wars.

The South Africa Medal (1853) is a campaign medal awarded to officers and men of the Royal Navy, British Army and locally recruited Cape Mounted Riflemen who served in the Cape of Good Hope during the Xhosa Wars between 1834 and 1853.

The medal was instituted in 1854 by Queen Victoria. It was awarded to surviving participants in one or more of three campaigns in the eastern Cape of Good Hope:

No clasps were awarded, therefore it is not possible to determine which of the wars any particular medal was awarded for.

The South Africa Service Medal Design

The South Africa Service medal was struck in silver and is a disk measuring 36 millimeters in diameter. The medal has a swiveling suspender. The medal was designed by William Wyon and his son Leonard Charles Wyon, while the dies for the medal engraved by Leonard Charles Wyon.

The obverse shows the diademed head of Queen Victoria facing left.It’s inscribed “VICTORIA” at left and “REGINA” at right around the perimeter. The name of designer W. Wyon is inscribed on the truncation of the Queen’s neck.

The reverse displays a crouching lion on a plinth in front of a protea bush with a single flower. The medal is inscribed “SOUTH AFRICA” around the top perimeter and has the year “1853” in the exergue. The name of engraver L.C. Wyon is inscribed at the bottom, below the year.

The ribbon measures 32 millimeters wide, and it has a 2½ millimeters wide golden yellow band, a 4 millimeters wide dark blue band, a 3 millimeters wide golden yellow band and a ½ millimeter wide dark blue band, repeated in reverse order and separated by a 12 millimeters wide golden yellow band.

The India General Service Medal (1854)

The India General Service Medal is a campaign medal issued to officers and men of the British and Indian armies for various campaigns.

The India General Service Medal (1854 IGSM) is a campaign medal issued to officers and men of the British and Indian armies for various minor military campaigns in India and nearby countries, between 1852 to 1895. The medal was approved on 1 March 1854.

In 1852 Lord Dalhousie had suggested a general service medal for smaller Indian campaigns, in order to limit the number of individual medals awarded (the Indian Army units made up the majority of forces in nearly all campaigns). The expeditions covered by the medal included few formal battles, most of which were undertaken in difficult terrain against local tribesmen.

A total of 24 clasps were awarded for 23 campaigns. The medal was never issued without a clasp, with the maximum number known to be awarded to one individual being seven.

The India General Service Medal Design

The India General Service Medal measures 1.4 inches (36 mm) in diameter, and was struck at the Royal Mint.

The medal was initially awarded only in silver. From the Burma 1885–87 clasp, medals in bronze were awarded to authorized native followers who accompanied the troops, such as bearers, sweepers and drivers.

The obverse of the medal shows a left facing effigy of Queen Victoria wearing a diadem, with the inscription “VICTORIA REGINA” inscribed around it.

The reverse depicts Victory crowning a seated warrior with a laurel wreath. In the exergue are lotus flowers and leaves.

The medal is suspended by a scrolled bar. The 1.25 inches (32 mm) wide ribbon is divided into five stripes, three red and two dark blue, each 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) wide.

The Sutlej Medal

The Sutlej Medal is a campaign medal issued to officers and men of the British Army and East India Company who served in the Sutlej campaign.

The Sutlej Medal is a campaign medal issued to officers and men of the British Army and Honourable East India Company who served in the Sutlej campaign of 1845-46 (also known as the First Anglo-Sikh War).

This medal was approved in 1846 and was the first one to use clasps to denote soldiers who fought in the major battles of the campaign.

The Sutlej Medal commemorates four battles (the first in which the recipient participated is shown on the reverse of the medal, with any further battles indicated by a clasp).

As there was no battle prior to the battle of Moodkee no clasp was produced for this action. The three clasps awarded were for the battles of Ferozeshuhur, Aliwal and Sobraon.

The Sutlej Medal Design

The Sutlej medal is a circular silver medal measuring 36 millimeters (1.4 in) in diameter. It was designed by William Wyon.

The obverse depicts the diademed head of Queen Victoria with the legend VICTORIA REGINA. The reverse shows a standing figure of victory, facing left and holding a wreath in her outstretched hand, with a collection of trophies at her feet. Around the circumference is the legend ARMY OF THE SUTLEJ, with the name and year of the first battle in which the recipient served below.

The ribbon measures 31.7 millimetres (1.25 in) wide and is dark blue with crimson edges.

The Scinde Medal

The Scinde Medal is a British medal issued to soldiers who participated in Major General Sir Charles Napier’s conquest of Scinde.

The Scinde Medal is a British medal issued to soldiers of the Honourable East India Company, the 22nd Regiment of Foot of the British Army and members of the Indian Navy, who participated in Major General Sir Charles Napier’s conquest of Scinde between 1842 and 1843.

The Scinde medal was authorized on 22 September 1843. Scinde had made various hostile demonstrations against the British government after the termination of the First Anglo-Afghan War. General Napier’s campaign against these Amirs resulted, after the victories of Miani and Hyderabad, in the complete subjugation of the province of Sindh, and its annexation to the Bombay Presidency of the British Raj.

The Scinde Medal Design

The Scinde Medal was designed by William Wyon, and struck in silver. It measures 36 millimeters (1.4 in) wide.

The obverse displays a left facing, diademed bust of Queen Victoria facing left with inscription VICTORIA REGINA. The reverse shows three different versions were issued, all containing the name and year of the battle(s) where the recipient was present, surrounded by a laurel wreath and surmounted by a crown.

  • MEEANEE / 1843. For participation in the Battle of Miani (or Meeanee), 17 February 1843.
  • HYDERABAD / 1843. For participation in the Battle of Hyderabad, 24 March 1843.
  • MEEANEE / HYDERABAD / 1843. For participation in both battles.

The suspender is a straight steel clip with a straight bar suspender. The ribbon measures 45 millimeters (1.8 in) rainbow pattern watered red, white, yellow, white and blue. The medals were impressed or engraved with recipient’s name and regiment around the rim.

The Punjab Medal

The Punjab Medal is a campaign medal issued to officers and men of the British Army and East India Company who served in the Punjab campaign.

The Punjab Medal is a campaign medal approved on 2 April 1849 and issued to officers and men of the British Army and Honourable East India Company who served in the Punjab campaign of 1848-49 (between 7 September 1848 and 14 March 1849), which ended in the British annexation of the Punjab.

Three clasps were authorized, although no medals were awarded with more than two, since no unit qualified for both the Mooltan and Chilianwala clasps.

The clasps were: Multan (7 September 1848 – 22 January 1849), awarded to troops engaged in the siege of Multan. In total, 18,967 of these clasps were awarded, 2,900 to Europeans and 16,067 to Indian troops; Chilianwala, (13 January 1849) awarded to troops under the command of Lord Gough who engaged with the Sikh army of Sher Singh and Lal Singh near Chilianwala. In total, 21,453 of these clasps were awarded, 4,300 to Europeans and 16,153 to Indian troops; and Goojerat (21 February 1849) awarded to troops under the command of Lord Gough who defeated the Sikh army of Sher Singh at Gujarat. In total, 32,960 of these clasps were awarded, 6,200 to Europeans and 26,760 to Indian troops.

The Punjab Medal Design

The Punjab medal is a circular silver medal measuring 36 millimeters (1.4 in) in diameter and designed by William Wyon. 

The obverse shows the diademed head of Queen Victoria with the legend VICTORIA REGINA. The reverse depicts a scene showing Sir Walter Gilbert receiving the Sikh surrender with the legend TO THE ARMY OF THE PUNJAB above, and below MDCCCXLIX, the year 1849 in Roman numerals.

The ribbon measures 31.7 millimeters (1.25 in) wide and is dark blue with a yellow stripe towards each edge.

The Naval General Service Medal (1847)

The Naval General Service Medal was a campaign medal issued to officers of the Royal Navy and awarded retrospectively for naval actions.

The Naval General Service Medal (or NGSM) was a campaign medal issued to officers and men of the Royal Navy and awarded retrospectively for various naval actions during the period 1793–1840. Admiral Thomas Bladen Capel was one of the members of the board that authorized the medal.

The period for the NGSM included the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars and the Anglo-American War of 1812. Each battle or campaign was represented by a clasp on the ribbon (the medal was never issued without a clasp, and there were 231 of them). These clasps covered a variety of actions from boat service, ship to ship skirmishes, to major fleet actions such as the Battle of Trafalgar.

This medal and its army counterpart, the Military General Service Medal, were amongst the first real British campaign medals, issued to all ranks for serving in combat actions.

The Naval General Service Medal Design

The medal was designed by William Wyon, and is made of silver. It measures 1.4 inches (36 mm) in diameter.

The obverse shows a left facing effigy of Queen Victoria with the inscription “VICTORIA REGINA” and the date “1848”. The reverse shows the figure of Britannia, holding a trident, seated on a seahorse.

The name of the recipient is impressed on the rim in block Roman capitals, while medals to officers and warrant officers also include the recipient’s rank. The ribbon measures 1.25 inches (32 mm) and is white with dark blue edges.

The Military General Service Medal

The Military General Service Medal is a campaign medal issued to officers and men of the British Army in 1848 for various military actions.

The Military General Service Medal (or MGSM) is a campaign medal issued to officers and men of the British Army in 1848 and approved on 1 June 1847 as a retrospective award for various military actions from 1793–1814.

The period the medal encompasses is that of the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Anglo-American War of 1812.

Each battle or campaign covered by the medal was represented by a clasp on the ribbon, of which twenty-nine were sanctioned (although a man could awarded up to fifteen).

The MGSM was only awarded to surviving claimants. Only about 10 per cent of those who served applied for this medal, due to general illiteracy and limited publicity for it. Next of kin could not apply for it on behalf of a deceased relative.

A total of 26,091 medals were awarded.

The Military General Service Medal Design

The medal was designed by William Wyon and is  made of silver. It measures 1.4 inches (36 mm) in diameter.

The obverse depicts a left facing effigy of Queen Victoria with the inscription “VICTORIA REGINA” and the date “1848”. The reverse shows Queen Victoria standing on a dais, crowning a kneeling Duke of Wellington with a laurel wreath. Above is the inscription “TO THE BRITISH ARMY”, with the dates “1793-1814” below.

The name and regiment of the recipient is impressed on the rim in block Roman capitals. The 1.25 inches (32 mm) wide ribbon was crimson, with dark blue edges.

The Medal for the Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie

The Kelat-I-Ghilzie Medal is a British campaign medal issued by the British East India Company to the defenders of Kelat-I-Ghilzie.

The Kelat-I-Ghilzie Medal is a British campaign medal issued by the British East India Company to the defenders of the fort at Kelat-I-Ghilzie during the First Anglo-Afghan War.

After the Massacre of Elphinstone’s Army, the only forces left in Afghanistan were at Jalalabad and Kelat-I-Ghilzie, a fort between Kabul and Kandahar. The garrison numbering 932 (55 Europeans and 877 Natives) was besieged for most of the winter. Finally, on 19 May 1842, a force was sent to draw off the garrison and relieve them from their post. A few days after this attack the garrison was finally relieved by the forces under Sir William Nott, on 26 May 1842.

For the courage displayed by the garrison at Kelat-i-Ghilzie, the East India Company authorized the medal to be awarded to all troops who participated in the protracted siege.

The Medal for the Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie Design

The medal for the Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie was designed by William Wyon, official chief engraver at the Royal Mint. It was silver and measured 36 millimeters (1.4 in) in diameter.

The obverse displays a laurel wreath with mural crown at the top of a shield with the inscription KELAT-I-GHILZIE. The reverse has a trophy of arms on top of a plaque bearing the inscription ‘INVICTA MDCCCXLII’.

The suspension consists of a straight steel suspender, attached to the medal by way of a steel clip and pin. The ribbon is the watered rainbow colored ribbon common to most East India Company medals (red on the left edge fading into white, which changed to yellow in the center, fading back to white, until finally changing to blue at the right edge).

The medals were engraved with the name of the recipient in script on the edge for the medals issued to British personnel. The medals issued to indigenous troops were often not named.