Ghuznee Medal
Ghuznee Medal | |
---|---|
Obverse and reverse of the medal | |
Type | Campaign medal |
Awarded for | Campaign service |
Description | Silver disk 37 mm wide |
Presented by | Governor-General of India |
Eligibility | British Army |
Campaign(s) | Ghuznee 1839 |
Clasps | None |
Established | 1839 |
Total | 8,371 |
Ribbon: Two equal stripes of crimson and dark green | |
The Ghuznee Medal is a British campaign medal awarded for participation in the storming of the fortress of Ghuznee in Afghanistan, on 21 to 23 July 1839 by troops of the British and Indian Armies. This action, the Battle of Ghazni, took place during the First Anglo-Afghan War.
This was the second medal awarded to all ranks of the British Army for a specific campaign, the Waterloo Medal being the first.[1] It was struck in 1839 on the orders of Shuja Shah Durrani, the Shah of Afghanistan, to show his appreciation to the British forces who had helped restore him to his throne by storming the fortress. As the Shah died before the medals could be distributed, it was finally bestowed by the Governor-General of India in the name of the Government of India.[2]
Description
The medal was based on a design by John Luard, a British army officer and artist,[3] and struck at the Calcutta Mint. It is silver and 37 millimetres (1.5 in) in diameter,[1] with the following design:[2]
The obverse depicts the fortress of Ghuznee with the word ‘GHUZNEE’ below.
The reverse has a mural crown surrounded by a laurel wreath and the date ’23d JULY 1839’.
The suspender is straight with a ring passing through a smaller loop soldered to the top of the medal.
The ribbon has two equal stripes of crimson and dark green. Originally the ribbon was to have been half green and half yellow.
The medal was issued unnamed, but many were later privately engraved or impressed in varying styles on the reverse or rim.[4]
Two separate dies exist for this medal with one having a wider border around the edge than the other. The second also has a narrower and taller fortress.[2]
Medals of the Anglo-Afghan War
Four separate campaign medals were awarded to British led forces who served in the Afghan War of 1839 to 1842:[5]
- Ghuznee Medal. Storming of Ghuznee fortress, 21–23 July 1839.
- Jellalabad Medal. Defence of Jalalabad, 12 November 1841–7 April 1842.
- Medal for the Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie. Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie, January–26 May 1842.
- Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul Medal. Major operations of 1842, the final year of the war.
See also
References
- ^ a b John Mussell (ed). Medal Yearbook 2015. p. 136. Token Publishing Ltd. Honiton, Devon.
- ^ a b c Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin. British Battles and Medals. pp. 104-5. Published Spink, London. 1988.
- ^ Ghuznee Medal 1839 – designer discovered. Clive Cohen. Orders & Medals Research Society Journal, September 2016, pages 188-194
- ^ Ghuznee Medal on medals.org.uk
- ^ Edward C. Joslin. Observer's Book of British Awards and Medals. p. 90. Published Frederick Warne & Co, London. 1974.
External links
- The Ghuznee Medal on Online Medals
- v
- t
- e
- Naval General Service Medal (1793–1840)
- Naval Gold Medal (1793–1815)
- Military General Service Medal (1793–1814)
- Army of India Medal (1803–26)
- Army Gold Cross/Army Gold Medal (1806–14)
- Waterloo Medal (1815)
- South Africa Medal (1834–6, 1846–7, 1850–3)
- Ghuznee Medal (1839)
- First China War Medal (1839–42)
- Jellalabad Medals (1841–2)
- Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul Medal (1842)
- Medal for the Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie (1842)
- Scinde Medal (1843)
- Gwalior Star (1843)
- Sutlej Medal (1845–6)
- New Zealand Medal (1845–7, 1860–6)
- Punjab Medal (1848–9)
- India General Service Medal (1852–95)
- Baltic Medal (1854–5)
- Crimean War Medal (1854–6)
- Indian Mutiny Medal (1857–8)
- Second China War Medal (1857–60)
- Canada General Service Medal (1866–70)
- Abyssinian War Medal (1867–8)
- Ashantee Medal (1873–4)
- South Africa Medal (1877–9)
- Afghanistan Medal (1878–80)
- Kabul to Kandahar Star (1880)
- Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal (1880-1, 1896–7)
- Egypt Medal (1882–9)
- Royal Niger Company Medal (1886–97)
- North West Canada Medal (1885)
- East and West Africa Medal (1887–1900)
- British South Africa Company Medal (1890–7)
- Central Africa Medal (1891–8)
- India Medal (1895–1902)
- Ashanti Star (1895–6)
- Queen's Sudan Medal (1896–8)
- East and Central Africa Medal (1897–9)
- Queen's South Africa Medal (1899–1902)
- Queen's Mediterranean Medal (1899–1902)
- Transport Medal (1899–1902)
- China War Medal (1900)
- Ashanti Medal (1900)
pre-First World War
- King's South Africa Medal (1902)
- Africa General Service Medal (1902–56)
- Tibet Medal (1905)
- Natal Native Rebellion Medal (1906)
- India General Service Medal (1909)
- 1914 Star
- 1914–15 Star
- British War Medal
- Mercantile Marine War Medal
- Victory Medal (United Kingdom)
- Victory Medal (South Africa)
- Territorial War Medal
- Naval General Service Medal (1915)
- General Service Medal (1918)
- India General Service Medal (1936)
- 1939–1945 Star
- Atlantic Star
- Arctic Star
- Air Crew Europe Star
- Africa Star
- Pacific Star
- Burma Star
- Italy Star
- France and Germany Star
- Defence Medal
- War Medal 1939–1945
- Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
- Africa Service Medal
- India Service Medal
- New Zealand War Service Medal
- Australia Service Medal
- Southern Rhodesia Service Medal
- Korea Medal (1951)
- Nuclear Test Medal (1952)
- General Service Medal (1962)
- Rhodesia Medal (1980)
- South Atlantic Medal (1982)
- Gulf Medal (1992)
- OSM for Sierra Leone (2000)
- OSM for Afghanistan (2002)
- OSM for Democratic Republic of Congo (2003)
- Iraq Medal (2004)
- Iraq Reconstruction Service Medal (2004)
- Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan) (2011)
- Ebola Medal (2015)
- General Service Medal (2008) (2015)
- OSM for Iraq & Syria (2017)
- Humanitarian Medal (2023)
- Wider Service Medal (2024)