War Medals and Their History

The Highland brigade, after the capture of Lucknow, was engaged in assisting to stamp out the rebellion in the province of Rohilcund, and to that end were employed in Brigadier...

=The New Zealand Cross.=--This was instituted by Order in Council at the Government House, Wellington, March 10th, 1869, and afterwards sanctioned by Her Majesty as "a Decorativ...

=Nigeria, 1902-6.=--At the battle of Jidballi the Mullah's army of 5,000 men were defeated by this little force, over 1,000 of the enemy being killed. The loss in British office...

=Ashantee.=--In this campaign (1873-4) seamen and marines from H.M.S. "Argus," "Encounter," "Barracouta," "Druid," "Seagull," "Simoom," "Rattlesnake," and "Beacon" were employed...

Colonel Godby, who commanded the garrison, on observing the approach of the British force, moved out from Loodiana and joined the relieving force. General Wheeler's brigade also...

=The Black Mountain Expedition.=--In 1888 a punitive expedition under Brigadier-General M'Queen, C.B., was sent into the Hazara or Black Mountain district on the left bank of th...

The Burma 1885-7 medal is generally engraved in a light running hand; but I have seen several engraved in slightly sloping squat Roman letters, ~2/SCOTS FUS~: The script kind of...

=The V.C. and Distinguished Conduct Medal.=--These were comparatively small but significant campaigns, although the period between Waterloo and the breaking out of the Crimean W...

=The Basuto War.=--Following closely on the suppression of the rising in Griqualand came the Basuto War, occasioned by the refusal of Morosi and his son Dodo, chief of the Baphu...

=The Ava Medal.=--By a General Order, dated "Fort William, April 22nd, 1826," a medal was bestowed upon the native troops engaged in the war between 1824-26. The medal, 1½ in. i...

=V.C. and three D.C.M.'S.=--On January 25th, 1865, a daring attack was made on the British camp at Nukumaru, but was repulsed with great loss. At this place, on the 24th, Captai...

=Rodrigues and Isle of France.=--To keep our order chronologically we must leave for a moment the army in Spain to call attention to the fact that it had become necessary, in or...

=The Price of Victory.=--But the Old Guard, true to their traditions, made a last desperate stand in square against the British cavalry; it was desperate and grand, but ineffect...

=Cabul.=--The prestige of Britain had been lowered as a result of the insurrections, and in order to relieve Jellalabad (but it is said to take vengeance upon the enemy), Major-...

On February 28th, 1653, Generals Blake, Deane, and Monk defeated the Dutch fleet under Admirals Van Tromp and De Rutzer, and after a three-days' fight defeated them off Portland...

=The India Medal, 1895.=--For the Defence and Relief of Chitral it was decided to issue a new India medal, and as a result that illustrated facing page 192 was designed "to comm...

=Witu August, 1893.=--This bar, with the West Africa medal, was granted to about 200 men from H.M.S. "Blanche," "Swallow," and "Sparrow," who were landed under the command of Ca...

=The Afghan Medal.=--With the Afghan medal, which was granted on March 19th, 1881, were issued six bars for ALI MUSJID, PEIWAR KOTAL, CHARASIA, AHMED KHEL, KABUL, and KANDAHAR....

=Hodson's Daring Feat.=--But the king and his family had taken refuge in Humayon's Tomb, about 7 miles from the city, and Hodson, the daring Captain of the Light Horse bearing h...

_Many Counterfeits._--This is a poor class of medal, and doubtless the ease with which it lent itself to the counterfeiter is responsible for the number of cast fakes which one...

=Officers' Gold Crosses.=--King John VI also instituted, on July 26th, 1816, an officer's cross for bestowal upon those officers who had participated in all or any of the six ca...

=Laswarree.=--The decisive defeat of the Scindiah's army at Laswarree on November 1st, 1803, might be called the crowning glory of Lake's life, for the battle was a particularly...

In his efforts, however, to oppose and belittle the claims of the petitioners for the Peninsular medal he incidentally and unconsciously brought forward the claims of those who...

The cross (see facing page 44), Maltese in form, is 1½ in. square, with a bright lapped double border framing a laurel mount. In the centre in bold relief is the British Lion st...

The following regiments were present at Inkermann: Grenadiers, Coldstreams, and Scots Fusilier Guards; 1st, 4th, 7th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 23rd, 28th, 30th, 33rd, 38th, 41st, 2 com...

=Ashanti, 1900.=--After the rebellion of certain native tribes had been quelled, and the siege of Kumassi raised, King Edward VII approved of a medal--the first bearing his effi...

15 March 1793. 1 only issued. 17 March 1794. 30 issued. 29 May 1797. 3 issued. 9 June 1799. 4 issued. 20 Dec. 1799. 3 issued. 29 July 1800. 4 issued. 29 Aug. 1800. 26 issued. 27...

=Salamanca.=--The battle of Salamanca, fought on Sunday, July 22nd, 1812, is noteworthy as the first general action in the Peninsular War in which Wellington attacked; his decis...

This medal bears on the obverse an antique galley on the prow of which Victory is represented in the act of alighting and placing a wreath upon the head of Britannia, who stands...

Since the days when woad-clad Britons faced Cæsar's legions we have had a military system, but it was not, so far as we have any substantial evidence, until the days of Elizabet...

=Geneva Cross, 1870-71.=--This bears on the obverse a red enamelled Cross of four arms, with a silver indented border in the centre in white enamel, with a plain silver edge. Re...

=The Naval General Service Medal.=--Two hundred and thirty bars were issued with the medal, which bore upon the obverse the bust of Queen Victoria, as on the Military General Se...

Gold Cross for Fuentes d'Onor, Badajoz, Ciudad Rodrigo, Orthes; the Gold Medal with bars for Badajoz and Ciudad Rodrigo, Peninsular Medal with three bars and gold badge of Milit...

Five bars: Allighur, Battle of Delhi, Laswarree, Battle of Deig, Capture of Deig-name impressed (to Officer). Private sale 150 0 0 Four bars: Asseerghur, Argaum, Gawilghur, Ara-...

If any excuse were needed for penning this, it is to be found in the exceeding interest which was taken in my monograph "Badges of the Brave." Indeed, many readers have requeste...

£ _s._ _d._ £ _s._ _d._ 1st Guards (Grenadier) 2 2 0 to 3 15 0 2nd Guards (Coldstreams) 2 0 0 to 3 10 0 2nd Battn. 3rd Guards (Scots Guards) and M.G.S. medal. Two bars: Vittoria...

+----------------------------+----------------------- Name. |Former Title. |Present Title. ------------------+----------------------------+----------------------- Grenadier Guar...

These letters were written so constantly that they number in all as many as 15,000, and of these a careful selection has been made for publication. M. Louis Guimbaud, who is res...