Military General Service Medal

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Military General Service Medal
MilitaryGSMobv.png MilitaryGSMrev.png
Obverse and reverse of the medal
Type Campaign medal
Awarded forCampaign service
DescriptionSilver disk, 36mm diameter
Presented by United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
EligibilityBritish Army
Campaign(s)French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1793–1814,
Anglo-American War of 1812
Clasps 29 authorised
Established1 June 1847
Total26,091
Military General Service Medal 1847 BAR.svg
Ribbon: 32mm, crimson edged with dark blue

The Military General Service Medal (MGSM) was a campaign medal approved in 1847 and issued to officers and men of the British Army in 1848. [note 1] [note 2]

Contents

The MGSM was approved on 1 June 1847 as a retrospective award for various military actions from 1793–1814; a period encompassing the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Anglo-American War of 1812. Each battle or campaign covered by the medal was represented by a clasp on the ribbon; twenty-nine were sanctioned [2] and the maximum awarded to one man was fifteen. [note 3]

Ambrotype of an unknown English Peninsular War 1807-1814 veteran and his wife taken possibly 1860. His Military General Service Medal has six campaign clasps. 1860 Anonyme Un veteran et sa femme Ambrotype.jpg
Ambrotype of an unknown English Peninsular War 1807-1814 veteran and his wife taken possibly 1860. His Military General Service Medal has six campaign clasps.
Five bar medal awarded to Richard Butler, 13th Light Dragoons Medal, campaign (AM 799943-1).jpg
Five bar medal awarded to Richard Butler, 13th Light Dragoons

The Duke of Richmond, who had fought at Waterloo, was chiefly responsible for the belated institution of the Military General Service Medal for all survivors of the campaigns between 1793 and 1814. He campaigned in Parliament and also enlisted the interest of Queen Victoria, who persuaded a reluctant Duke of Wellington that junior and non-commissioned officers and private soldiers deserved this recognition. [6] [note 4] Hitherto, only the Waterloo Medal had been awarded to all ranks, while senior officers could receive the Army Gold Medal for service in the Napoleonic Wars. [7]

The MGSM was only awarded to surviving claimants. A combination of factors, including general illiteracy and limited publicity for the new medal, meant that many did not apply for it, [note 5] with only about 10 per cent of those who served receiving the medal. [8] While next of kin could not apply for a medal on behalf of a deceased relative, they did receive the medal in cases where the claimant had died between their application and actual award. [9]

A total of 26,089 medals were awarded. [10] [note 6]

This medal and its naval counterpart, the Naval General Service Medal, were among the first real British campaign medals, issued to all ranks present at a battle or campaign. The earlier Army Gold Medal had been awarded to field and general officers for their successful commands; they were not eligible to claim clasps for the same battle on the MGSM. [11] To distinguish between the two medals, the MGSM was referred to as the "silver medal".

Appearance

The medal, designed by William Wyon, is of silver and 1.4 inches (36 mm) in diameter. [9]

Clasps

The following clasps were awarded. Although the medal bears the dates 1793 to 1814, no clasp was authorised for service before 1801, or between 1802 and 1805. [13] A total of 21 clasps relate to the Peninsular War and three to the War of 1812. [14] The medal was never issued without a clasp. The most awarded to a single recipient was 15.

Notes

  1. About 40 awards were made to officers and men of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, on attachment to the army. [1]
  2. Including officers and men of the King's German Legion, Brunswick Oels and Chasseurs Britanniques, but not other foreign troops in British service.
  3. Two men were awarded medals with fifteen clasps, [3] twelve with fourteen clasps [4] and forty-four with thirteen clasps. [5]
  4. It was awarded to those who were junior officers during the period 1793-1814. James Holmes Schoedde (14 clasps) had been a captain in the 60th by 1814, but eventually became a lieutenant general.
  5. By 1847 the King's German Legion, Brunswick Oels and Chasseurs Britanniques had been disbanded and the men had returned home to the German states; few were aware that they were entitled to the medal.
  6. Joslin states '25,650 applications for the medal', the discrepancy probably due to late claims.

Related Research Articles

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India General Service Medal (1854) Award

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Baltic Medal Award

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Army of India Medal Award

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.

Sutlej Medal Award

The Sutlej Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1846, for issue to officers and men of the British Army and Honourable East India Company who served in the Sutlej campaign of 1845–46. This medal was the first to use clasps to denote soldiers who fought in the major battles of the campaign.

India Medal Award

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East and Central Africa Medal Award

The East and Central Africa Medal, established in February 1899, was a British campaign medal awarded for minor military operations in the Uganda Protectorate and Southern Sudan between 1897 and 1899. Four separate clasps were issued.

Queens Mediterranean Medal Award

The Queen's Mediterranean Medal was authorised by King Edward VII and was awarded to Militia troops who had replaced their regular Army counterparts in the various military garrisons across the Mediterranean, in Gibraltar, Malta and Egypt. This allowed regular troops to be available for the Second Boer War.

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 and 1880 during the Second Afghan War, the first war being from 1839 to 1842.

New Zealand War Medal Campaign medal awarded to troops in the New Zealand Wars

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China War Medal (1842) Award

The China War Medal was issued by the British Government in 1843 to members of the British and Indian forces who took part in the First Anglo-Chinese War (1839–42). The medal was designed by William Wyon.

Africa General Service Medal Award

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Ashanti Medal Award

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Khedives Star Military award

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Khedives Sudan Medal (1910) Award

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Royal Niger Companys Medal Award

The Royal Niger Company’s Medal was a campaign medal issued in 1899 by the Royal Niger Company for service in minor military operations in Nigeria between 1886 and 1897. The award was approved by the British government and could be worn by British servicemen.

References

  1. Joslin, Litherland & Simpkin (1988), p. 83.
  2. Mussell (2015), p. 129.
  3. "MGSM Rolls Search Results (15 clasps)". Dix Noonan Webb . Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  4. "MGSM Rolls Search Results (14 clasps)". Dix Noonan Webb. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  5. "MGSM Rolls Search Results (13 clasps)". Dix Noonan Webb. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  6. Johnson (1921), pp. 58–61.
  7. Mussell (2015), pp. 126–130.
  8. Collett (1981), p. 56.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Joslin, Litherland & Simpkin (1988), p. 69.
  10. "Military General Service Medal Roll". Dix Noonan Webb. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  11. Joslin, Litherland & Simpkin (1988), p. 66.
  12. Dorling (1956), p. 55.
  13. 1 2 Dorling (1956), p. 57.
  14. Joslin, Litherland & Simpkin (1988), pp. 72–79.

Bibliography