largest number of clasps to any one medal is four. Certain non-combatants
received the medal without a clasp.
18. Baltic, 1854–55.—Awarded by Queen Victoria, 1856. Obverse: Head of Queen Victoria as in First China Medal. Reverse: Britannia seated and holding a trident in her right hand. In the background forts. Above, BALTIC. In exergue, 1854–1855. Ribbon: Yellow, with pale blue borders (Plate I.). Clasps: Nil.
This award, notified by Admiralty Order, June 5, 1856, was granted “to the officers and crews of Her Majesty’s ships, as well as to such officers and Men of Her Majesty’s Army as were employed in the operations in the Baltic in the years 1854 and 1855.” The medal is, of course, practically a naval one, but two officers and ninety-nine men of the Royal Engineers were employed in the expedition, especially at Bomarsund, and received it.
19. Turkish Crimea Medal.—Awarded by the Sultan, 1856. Obverse: A trophy composed of a field piece, a mortar, and an anchor, the field piece standing on the Russian Imperial Standard, and having a map of the Crimea spread over the wheel and breech. Behind are the Turkish, British, French and Sardinian flags. The flag of the nation to which the recipient belonged is in the front with that of Turkey, the flags of the other two nationalities behind. In exergue, “Crimea 1855,” “La Crimée 1855,” or “La Crimea 1855,” according as to whether the medal was intended for British, French or Sardinian recipients. Reverse: The Sultan’s cypher, below, in Turkish, “Crimea,” and the year of the Hegira, 1271. Ribbon: Crimson watered, with bright green edges (Plate I.). Clasps: Nil.
This medal was distributed to all of the Allied Forces, both naval and military, which shared in the operations in the Black Sea and the Crimea. As the ship that conveyed a majority of the English medals was sunk, the remainder were issued indiscriminately, and a large number of the British received medals which were originally intended either for the French or Sardinians.[1]
20. Arctic, 1818–1855 (First Arctic).—Awarded by Queen Victoria, 1857. Obverse: Head of Queen Victoria, wearing a tiara. Legend, VICTORIA REGINA. Reverse: A ship blocked in the ice, icebergs to right and left, and in foreground a sledging party. Above, FOR ARCTIC DISCOVERIES. In exergue, 1818–1855. Ribbon: White (Plate II.). Clasps: Nil.
This award was first notified in an Admiralty Notice dated, January 30, 1857. It was given to the crews of Her Majesty’s ships employed in Arctic exploration, and also “to the officers of the French Navy, and to such volunteers as accompanied those expeditions”; also to those engaged in expeditions “equipped by the government and citizens of the United States”: also to the “commanders and crews of the several expeditions which originated in the zeal and humanity of Her Majesty’s subjects”: and finally to those who served “in the several land expeditions, whether equipped by Her Majesty’s government, by the Hudson’s Bay Company, or from private resources.” The medal is worn on the left breast and takes rank as a war medal. It is octagonal in shape, 1·3 in., and has affixed to the upper edge a five-pointed star to which is attached a ring for suspension. The head of the queen, which is the work of L. C. Wyon, has never been reproduced on any other medal.
21. Indian Mutiny, 1857–58.—Awarded by the Government of India, 1858. Obverse: Head of Queen Victoria as on First China Medal. Reverse: Britannia standing facing left with a lion on her right side; her right arm is extended holding out a wreath; on her left arm is the Union shield, and in her left hand a wreath. Above, INDIA. In exergue, 1857–1858. Ribbon: White, with two red stripes, forming five 14-inch stripes (Plate I.). Clasps: DELHI (May 30 to Sep. 14, 1857); DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW (June 29 to Sep. 25, 1857); RELIEF OF LUCKNOW (Nov., 1857); LUCKNOW (March 2 to 21, 1858); CENTRAL INDIA (Jan. to June 1858).
The grant of this award was first notified in a despatch from the Court of Directors to the Government which stated that “the Queen has been graciously pleased to command that a Medal shall be granted to the troops in the Service of Her Majesty, and of the East India Company, who have been, or may be, employed in the suppression of the Mutiny in India.” This is the last medal given by the Honourable East India Company. The medal without clasp was awarded to all, including civilians, who had taken part in operations against the mutineers or rebels, and with the clasps enumerated above to those who shared in the operations specified. Some two or three artillery men are known to have received the medal with the clasps “Delhi,” “Relief of Lucknow,” “Lucknow” and “Central India.” The medal with three clasps, viz. “Delhi,” “Relief of Lucknow” and “Lucknow” was given only to the 9th Lancers and the Bengal Horse Artillery, and of course various officers who served on the staff, as, for example, Field Marshals Earl Roberts and Sir Henry Norman. With regard to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, the “Shannon’s” brigade, under Captain Peel, received the medal with one, or both, of the clasps “Relief of Lucknow,” “Lucknow,” the “Pearl’s” brigade, under Captain Sotheby received the medal without clasp. This is the last medal that had on it the beautiful head of Queen Victoria which was first used for the China Medal of 1842, and of which W. Wyon, R.A., was the artist.
22. Abyssinia, 1867–68.—Awarded by Queen Victoria, 1868. Obverse: Bust of Queen Victoria, with diadem and veil; around an indented border, between the nine points of which are the letters A.B.Y.S.S.I.N.I.A. Reverse: Within a beaded circle the name of recipient, his corps, regiment or ship, the whole surrounded with a wreath of laurel. Ribbon: Red, with broad white borders (Plate I.). Clasps: Nil.
The sanction of this award is to be found in a letter from Sir J. S. Pakington, secretary of state for war, to H.R.H. the duke of Cambridge, field-marshal commanding-in-chief, which notifies the queen’s pleasure “that a medal be granted to all Her Majesty’s Forces and Indian Forces, Naval and Military, employed in the operations in Abyssinia, which resulted in the capture of Magdala.” In all 20,000 medals were struck. The medal is smaller than the usual, 114in. in diameter, and it is surmounted by an Imperial Crown, and a large silver ring for suspension. It is altogether an unusual type of medal, and in the use of an indented border it follows a very old precedent, that of a medal commemorating the victory of Valens over Procopius, A. D. 365. (See Les Médaillons de l’empire romain, by W. Froehner, Paris, 1878). The artists responsible for this medal are Joseph S. Wyon and Alfred B. Wyon, and this bust of the queen is reproduced on only one other medal, the New Zealand.
23. New Zealand, 1845–47, 1860–66.—Awarded by Queen Victoria, 1869. Obverse: Bust of Queen Victoria as on Abyssinia medal, but larger. Legend: VICTORIA D:G:BRITT: REG:F:D: Reverse: Dated, within a wreath of laurel, according to the period in which the recipient served. Above, NEW ZEALAND; below, VIRTUTIS HONOR. Ribbon: Blue, with a broad red stripe down centre (Plate I.). Clasps: Nil.
The grant of this award to the Army was notified in an Army Order, dated March 1, 1869, and its extension to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines by an Admiralty Order, dated June 3, 1869. Owing to incompleteness in the returns many medals were issued undated. The dates on the reverse, in those issued dated, varied considerably; for the First Maori War, the medal was issued to the Army with one, and to the Navy with five different dates; for the Second Maori War, the medal was issued to the Army with twenty-one, and to the Navy with five different dates. No medal was dated 1862, though many of the Army medals bore date of a period covering that year, although no naval medals did.
24. West Africa, 1873–1900.—Awarded (originally as the “Ashantee” medal) by Queen Victoria in 1874, with the exception of the last issue, with clasp “1900,” which was awarded by H.M. King Edward VII. Obverse: Head of Queen Victoria, with diadem, and veil behind, by L. C. Wyon. Legend: VICTORIA REGINA. Reverse: British soldiers fighting savages in thick bush, by Sir E. J. Poynter. Ribbon: Yellow, with black borders, and two narrow black stripes (Plate II.). Clasps: COOMASSIE, 1887–8, 1891–2, 1892, 1893–94; WITU, 1890;[2] LIWONDI, 1893;[3] WITU, August 1893;[2] JUBA RIVER, 1893;[2] LAKE NYASSA, 1893;[3] GAMBIA, 1894;[3] BENIN RIVER, 1894;[2] BRASS RIVER, 1895;[2] MWELE, 1895;[2] [4] NIGER, 1897; BENIN, 1897;[2] SIERRA LEONE, 1898–99; 1896–98, 1897–98, 1898, 1899, 1900.
This medal was first awarded by Army Order 43, dated June 1, 1874, to “all of Her Majesty’s Forces who have been employed on the Gold Coast during the operations against the King of Ashantee,” and in addition a clasp, “Coomassie,” “in the case of those who were present at Amoaful and the actions between that place and Coomassie (including the capture of the capital), and of those who, during the five days of those actions, were engaged on the north of the Prah in maintaining and protecting the communications of the main army.” In all, with and without the clasp, 11,000 medals were issued for the Ashantee campaign to both Services. Over eighteen years later this same medal was re-issued as a “general service” medal, the award being for operations in Central Africa, and on the East and West Coasts, during the period 1887–92, which were covered by the dated clasps “1887–8,” “1891–2,” and “1892.” As such the issue was continued for operations down to the year 1900, although the official title “West- ↑ In addition to this award the French emperor sent five hundred of the French “Military Medal,” to be distributed amongst specially selected non-commissioned officers and men of the army and Royal Marines, and petty officers and seamen of the Royal Navy. Only two of these medals were given to officers, viz. the duke of Cambridge and Sir William Codrington, the latter being presented by Pélissier with his own medal. The king of Sardinia also distributed 450 medals to the British forces, of which 50 were given to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and 243 to officers and 157 to non-commissioned officers and privates of the army.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Were awarded by the Admiralty to certain local forces which co-operated with the Naval Brigades.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 These clasps were all naval awards, but two companies of the West India Regiment took part in the operations for which the clasp “Gambia, 1894,” was awarded.
- ↑ “Mwele, 1895,” is not strictly speaking a clasp, as it is engraved on the edge of the medal. Recipients already in possession of the medal were entitled to have the action and date engraved thereon. It corresponds, however, to a clasp in that it commemorates a particular service, and so has been included.
