Burma Medal

Last updated
Burma Medal
Burma Medal, 1824-26.jpg Burma Medal,1824.jpg
Obverse and reverse of the medal,
depicted on cigarette cards
Type Campaign medal
Awarded forCampaign service
Presented by Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg the
Honourable East India Company (HEIC)
EligibilityHEIC forces
Campaign(s) First Burma War
Clasps None
Established1826
Total750 gold and 24,000 silver medals
Ribbon bar, Waterloo Medal.png
Ribbon: crimson with dark blue edges

The Burma Medal is a campaign medal awarded by the Governor-General of India to native Indian soldiers of the armies of the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) who participated in the First Burma War from April 1824 to February 1826. [1]

Contents

Criteria

The War was fought between the British HEIC and the Kingdom of Burma, primarily over Burmese incursions into north east India. The war ended in February 1826 with the Treaty of Yandabo, in which Burma ceded territory to the HEIC, paid a large indemnity and agreed to sign a commercial treaty. [2]

The medal was authorised by Lord Amherst, the Governor-General of India, in April 1826. [3] It was awarded to HEIC forces only, to native Indian officers and officials in gold (about 750 awarded) and to native other ranks in silver (about 24,000 awarded). [4] [5] The only European to receive the medal, in gold, was General Sir Archibald Campbell who commanded the British and Indian forces during the campaign. [1] The medal was limited to those involved in the actual fighting, it also being awarded posthumously – to the heirs of those who had died. [3]

Europeans who took part, including officers in HEIC service and members of the British Army and Royal Navy, were not eligible for the medal. However, surviving British officers, soldiers and sailors qualified for the Army of India Medal with clasp Ava, when this medal was established in 1851. [6] As they had already received the Burma Medal, native Indians did not receive the Army of India Medal for the campaign. [7]

Description

The medal was struck at the Calcutta Mint in gold and in silver. Both types were 1.5 inches (38 mm) in diameter [6] with the following design: [4] [8]
The obverse, designed by William Daniell RA , [1] depicts the elephant of Burma crouching in submission to the victorious British lion, while behind the Burmese standard is lowered before the Union Flag, there being palm trees behind. In the exergue is the Persian inscription The Elephant of Ava is obedient to the Lion of England, year 1826.
The reverse, designed by William Wyon, [1] depicts the storming of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon. To the left is the Irrawaddy Flotilla, with the British commander General Campbell directing the attack from under a palm tree. In the exergue is the Persian inscription A medal for the victorious British soldiers of Ava.
No clasps were authorised and the medal was issued unnamed. [9]
The suspension was either a ring attached to the medal by way of a steel clip, or by a straight bar attached to a steel claw. [4]

The medal was worn on the left chest, suspended from a 1.5 inches (38 mm) wide ribbon of crimson with dark blue edges. This was the British 'military ribbon' previously used for the Army Gold Medal and Cross, the Waterloo Medal and later the Military General Service Medal. [10] The Burma Medal was the first HEIC campaign medal to be issued with a distinct ribbon, earlier medals having been worn around the neck, most by a cord. [11]

Related Research Articles

India General Service Medal (1854) Award

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

Baltic Medal Award

The Baltic Medal was a campaign medal approved on 6 June 1856, for issue to officers and men of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, and Royal Sappers and Miners who served between March 1854 and August 1855 in the Baltic Sea operations against Russia in the Baltic theatre of the Crimean War, or Åland War. The medal primarily covered naval actions but 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.

Army of India Medal

The Army of India Medal (AIM) was a campaign medal approved in 1851 for issue to officers and men of the British Army and the Army of the Honourable East India Company. A retrospective award following the precedent set by the Naval General Service Medal and the Military General Service Medal, it served to reward service in various actions from 1803 to 1826.

Efficiency Decoration Award

The Efficiency Decoration, post-nominal letters TD for recipients serving in the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom or ED for those serving in the Auxiliary Military Forces, was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time officers after twenty years of service as an efficient and thoroughly capable officer. The decoration superseded the Volunteer Officers' Decoration, the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration and the Territorial Decoration.

Afghanistan Medal (United Kingdom) Award

The Afghanistan Medal, sanctioned on 19 March 1881, was awarded to members of the British and Indian armies who served in Afghanistan between 1878–1880 during the Second Afghan War, the first war being from 1839–1842.

Efficiency Decoration (South Africa) Award

The Efficiency Decoration , post-nominal letters ED, was instituted in 1930 for award to efficient and thoroughly capable part-time officers in the Citizen Force of the Union of South Africa after twenty years of service. The decoration superseded the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration.

Seringapatam Medal East India Company medal for 1799 Battle of Seringapatam during Mysore Wars

The Seringapatam Medal, or Sri Ranga Pattana, is a campaign medal that was awarded by the Governor-General of India to all British and Indian soldiers who participated in the British victory in the Battle of Seringapatam in 1799.

Jellalabad Medals Medal of the First Afghan War

The Jellalabad Medal was a campaign medal issued by the British East India Company. It was established by Lord Ellenborough, the Governor-General of India, on 30 April 1842.
The medal was awarded for the defence of Jalalabad from 12 November 1841 to 7 April 1842, during the First Afghan War, to the troops under the command of Sir Robert Sale. About 2,600 soldiers took part, including the 13th Foot, the 35th Bengal Native Infantry, as well as detachments from other Indian Army units and some loyal Afghan forces.

Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers Decoration Award

The Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration, post-nominal letters VD, was established in 1899 as recognition for long and meritorious service as a part-time commissioned officer in any of the organized military forces of the British Colonies, Dependencies and Protectorates. It superseded the Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies in all these territories, but not in the Indian Empire.

Central Africa Medal Award

The Central Africa Medal was a British campaign medal awarded for service from 1891–1894 in Eastern and Central Africa, and from 1894–1898 for service in British Central Africa.

Indian Meritorious Service Medal (for Europeans of Indian Army)

The Indian Meritorious Service Medal was a medal to recognize long and meritorious service by European non-commissioned officers in service of the East India Company's Army.

Indian Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (for Europeans of Indian Army) Award

The Indian Long Service and Good Conduct Medal was a medal to recognize long and efficient service by Europeans in service of the East India Company's Army.

Capture of Ceylon Medal Award

The Capture of Ceylon Medal is a campaign medal that was awarded by the Governor-General of India to soldiers in Bengal artillery units of the armies of the East India Company (EIC) who took part in the capture of Ceylon in 1795–96.

Java Medal Award

The Java Medal is a campaign medal awarded by the Governor-General of India to soldiers of the armies of the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) who participated in the Invasion of Java in August and September 1811, during the Napoleonic Wars.

Nepal Medal Award

The Nepal Medal was awarded by the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) to native Indian officers, and Indian soldiers for particularly distinguished conduct, during the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814–16.

Coorg Medal East India medal for loyal Coorgs during 1837 Coorg rebellion

The Coorg Medal was awarded by the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) to local forces who remained loyal during the Coorg rebellion of 1837.

Mysore Medal Campaign medal awarded by the Governor-General of India to native Indian soldiers

The Mysore Medal is a campaign medal that was awarded by the Governor-General of India to native Indian soldiers of the armies of the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) who participated in the Third Anglo-Mysore War of 1790 to 1792.

Deccan Medal East India Company medal for campaigns of 1778-84

The Deccan Medal was the first campaign medal instituted by the East India Company (EIC). It was awarded to native Indian troops who took part in the major campaigns in India between 1778 to 1784. It is sometimes referred to as the Carnatic Medal.

Egypt Medal (1801) East India Company medal for 1801 Egyptian campaign

The Egypt Medal is a campaign medal that was awarded by the Governor-General of India to members of the expeditionary force that travelled from India to take part in the 1801 Egyptian campaign, a part of the French Revolutionary Wars.

Medal for capture of Rodrigues, Isle of Bourbon and Isle of France East India Company medal for capture of French Indian Ocean islands, 1809-10

The Medal for the capture of Rodrigues, Isle of Bourbon and Isle of France is a campaign medal that was awarded by the Governor-General of India to native Indian soldiers of the East India Company (EIC), who took part in the capture of these three Indian Ocean islands from French forces between July 1809 and December 1810.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Steward, William Augustus (1915). War Medals and Their History. Stanley Paul & Co. p.  91-92. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  2. ↑ Maung Htin Aung (1967). A History of Burma . Cambridge University Press. pp.  212, 214–215.
  3. 1 2 Mayo, John Horsley (1897). Medals and Decorations of the British Army and Navy, Volume 1. A. Constable & Co. p.  210-217. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin. British Battles and Medals. p. 101. Published Spink, London. 1988.
  5. ↑ Note: Mayo page 211 states: 758 gold and 33,133 silver medals awarded to the Bengal and Madras presidencies, of which 197 and 9,022 unclaimed from Madras. 10 and 100 respectively were retained for future claims, the rest returned to the mint as bullion. This indicates 571 gold and 24,211 silver medals issued or retained.
  6. 1 2 John Mussell (ed). Medal Yearbook 2015. p. 121. Token Publishing Ltd. Honiton, Devon.
  7. ↑ Mayo, John Horsley (1897). Medals and Decorations of the British Army and Navy, Volume II. A. Constable & Co. p.  337 . Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  8. ↑ Medals of the World: UK: HEIC's Medal for Burma, 1824-26
  9. ↑ Collett, D.W, Medals Yearbook, (1981) Published by Medal Year Book.
  10. ↑ Duckers, Peter (2013). British Military Medals: A Guide for the Collector and Family Historian. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN   978-1-47383-099-8 . Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  11. ↑ Mayo, John Horsley (1897). Medals and Decorations of the British Army and Navy, Volume 1. A. Constable & Co. p. lxviii. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.