Ed_Haynes

Burma Medal, 1824-26, gold A further modification to the pattern came with the medal for the first Burma War on 1824-26. Rather than being suspended around the neck, the medals were now worn froma ribbon. How odd. Gold medals (750) were awarded to subadars and jemadars, while others received a silver medal (around 24,000). The medals are STILL unnamed (though there are STILL rolls in New Delhi).

In 1818 a gold (2 issued) and silver (45 issued) medal was issued for gallantry (rather than as a "campaign" medal) in the face of a rebellion in Ceylon. I'm not showing this here because (1) it was not a "campaign" medal and (2) I don't have an image (it being very rare). Sorry. But I list it anyway.

Nepal Medal, 1814-16 This medal represents a slight variant of the earlier pattern. It was not awarded as a general campaign medal, but was, rather, awarded only to those soldiers of the Company's forces who had shown especially meritorious service in the war agains Nepal, 1814-16. It was awarded only in silver, regardless of rank (and there was much grumbling over that). A Others (and Europeans) would have to await the "Nepaul" clasp to the Army of India Medal in 1851.

Medal for the Capture of Java, 1811, gold Awarded to troops of the East India Company for the capture of the island of Java from the Dutch in 1811. Gold medals (133) were awarded to subadars and jemadars, while others (6519) received the silver medal. Europeans (even Europeans in Company service) who saw this service would have to await the clasp "Java" for the naval and military general service medals in 1847.

Medal for the Capture of Rodriguez, Isle of Bourbon, and Isle of France, 1809-10, gold Awarded on gold (to subadars, 50 issued), and silver (to others, 2200 issued) to troops of the East India Company involved in the capture of the French-held islands in the Indian Ocean of Rodriguez, the Isle of Bourbon (today, Mauritius), and the Isle of France (today, Reunion). This is a gold medal.

Egypt 1801, silver The medal was awarded for the Company troops involved in teh Egyptian campaign against Napoleon in 1801. Awarded in gold to subadars (16 awarded) and in silver to others (2200 awarded). This is one medal that has always held a strange fascination for me. This is the same medal shown in the latest BB&M. Not a great scan, sorry.

Seringapatam Medal, 1799, tin This is a very complex medal. It was awarded for the campaigns against Tipu Sultan in 1799 and, specifically, for the capture of the foirtress at Seringapatam on 4 May 1799. It was the first medal to be awarded to both Europeans and Indians in the Honourable East India Company's forces. Different scales of award were used for Europeans and for Indfians, and there were even different terms of award for teoops of the Bengal Army and the Madras Army. For example, the medal in bronze was awarded to Indian Officers and NCOs (in the Madras Army) and to Indian NCOs (in the Bengal Army). The medal shown here, in tin, was warded to enlisted men (in both the Madras and Bengal armies).

Medal for the Capture of Ceylon, 1795 Awarded for the capture of Ceylon (now, Sri Lanka) from the Dutch in 1795. Awarded in gold to subadars (only 2 awarded) and in silver to all others (121 awarded).

Mysore Medal, 1790-93 For campaigns against Mysore, 1790-93. Issued in gold (43 mm, to subadars), large silver (43 mm, to jemadars), and small silver (38 mm, to others) for campaigns against Tipu Sultan. This is the small silver medal. Again, rolls survive in New Delhi, but the medal is unnamed.

Deccan Medal, 1778-84 Awarded to Indian officers and men of the Company's forces for the campaigns in western India and Gujarat, 1778-84. Awarded in 40.55 mm gold to subadars, 40.55 mm silver to jemadars, and in small silver (32 mm) to NCOs and ORs. This is the small silver medal. Created 1784. While rolls survive, the medal is unnamed.

Monghyr Medal, 1766 The first medal created by the East India Company was for the deployment of Indian troops to quell a mutiny by European officers of the Company's Army at Monghyr in 1766. (An interesting reversal of what some may think of as the common patternms of "mutiny".) The medal shown below has long been considered to be the Monghyr Medal, but serious questions have been raised as to its identity. This is presented tentatively, with great qualifications. The medal (if this is it, if it was ever issued) was given in gold to Indian officers and in silver to other ranks. The medals were worn around the neck, suspended from a yellow/saffron cord.

A question was raised on another thread regarding early Indian campaign medals. The initual query may not have realised what it was about to unleash.

QE2 crowned 2 June 1953.

As Chris suggests, 50% "gut" 50% provenance. And for a high ticket group . . . ?? I'd want to see better scans of the DFC and of the naming (are the naming and the date engraved in the same "hand" - oh!). As India (post-1947 meaning) also named (most of) their WWII medals, things are easier for me than for a "straight" Brit collector, but some 100% groups are also 100% unnamed. For example http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2331&st=6 -- as it came direct from his grandson, I feel safe.

If there is provenance and documentation beyond the spiffy bronze plaque, this is a group that would attract a lot of interest. The danger, of course, is that the Brits did not name their WWII medals (and any naming on the DFC would have been later, unofficial); this makes the "assembly" of "groups" an active cottage industry (ditto the preperation of mounds of fraudulent paperwork). The stakes are high. While I don't like quoting prices and while many -- myself included -- criticise the volume, the Medal Yearbook 2006 provides a price guide (of sorts): DFC 1 bar (attributed) - GBP 2500-4000 39-45 Star - GBP 10-12 ACE Star with F&G clasp - GBP 175-195 Defence Medal - GBP 16-18 War Medal - GBP 10-12 Add these up and add, say, 20-25% (more if these are sexy DFC recommendations) and you see why someone would want to fake such groups.

Oh . . . good question. (And I fully understand the pitfalls of writing late-evening or early-morning!) You are creating a monster. I shall answer this in another thread. Hold on tight . . . .

Aren't we making a mistake expecting too much standardization in these ribbon bars? They are lovely things, to be sure, but aren't they ultimately all just the products of the fertile imaginations of inter-war European jewelers, producing entirely unofficial things that would sell to veterans, representing awards from defunct states. Just a stupid question from an outsider.

Sorry, I may be dense, but I'm not quite sure what your question is. These medals were awarded as the third of the great retrospective series of campaign medals for early campaigns, the first two being issued by the Crown (Naval General Service Medal and Military General Service Medal, for the wars against Napoleon, mostly) and this by the East India Company (at Wellington's insistence) to both Natives (of the British Isles) and Indians who were alive and who could be found who had served in these various campaigns. This broke the earlier pattern (already "softened" by the medal issued by the company for the First Sikh War) of "one campaign/one medal" and set a "general service medal" pattern which more or less continues until the present day (though more so in Pakistan than in India). If you are asking whether medals were issued by non-Company forces, by their opponents, the answer is "probably not", though there are tantalising hints in the records of Maratha medals. THere were Sikh orders and medals, but not for services against the British (apparently). Am I even close to answering your question?

Interesting . . . let me dig out my correspondence with Souval.

Thanks, Gordon, Do you see this as a Souval restrike or an original? Ed

Have been trying to find scanner settings for scanning color stuff in B/W that replicates the weird shifts you get in pre-1960s B/W film emulsions. Any expert opinions? I know the "airplane boys" have done a lot with WWI-era photos, but they have the extra problem of having had aerial recon film used for snaps of their planes.

But those quirky spectrum shifts will throw a lot of things off.

Aah . . . but which makes the greater contribution to Socialist Progress of the Motherland?

What is wrong with milking cows?! Isn't that better (and more interesting) than years of valliant desk-sitting in some military orifice office?

Oh . . . .