Punitive Expedition Medal

Not to be confused with the Punitive Expeditions Medal, issued with a tricolor ribbon.

Punitive Expedition Medal
Type	Campaign medal
Awarded for	Service in the 1897 Punitive Expedition in North Borneo
Description	Hanging medal with service ribbon and clasp
Date	1897
Country	North Borneo
Presented by	British North Borneo Company British Empire
Ribbon
Highlights
Silver	Officers
Bronze	NCO's and enlisted

The Punitive Expedition Medalof 1897 was awarded to those veterans of the British North Borneo Company (BNBC), and especially the British North Borneo Constabulary who served in the first punitive expedition to crush Mat Salleh in North Borneo in the year 1897 in the initial stages of the Mat Salleh Rebellion. ^{[1] [2] [3]} It was produced in silver and bronze variants. ^[4]

This was the first medal issued by the company for the war, notably with an orange ribbon and a singular noun. The next medal issued was the Punitive Expeditions Medal (plural noun and tricolor ribbon), issued for fighting taking place in the year 1888 and afterward. Other medals were issued for this war as well, including the Tambunan Expedition Medal, and the Rundum Expedition Medal. ^{[2] [5]}

References

1. "British North Borneo Co. Medal: Punitive Expedition (1897)". The Fitzwilliam Museum. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
2. Pingle, George. "British North Borneo Company Medals" (PDF). omsa.org. Retrieved 2026-01-11.
3. "medal, British North Borneo Co. Medal: Punitive Expedition (1897), medals, Military, Britain, British Army". museums.eu. Retrieved 2026-01-11.
4. Joslin, Edward C. (1988). British battles & medals. Internet Archive. London : Spink. pp. 185–186, 246. ISBN   978-0-907605-25-6.
5. Mynbstamps (2015-02-19). "my North Borneo stamps: North Borneo cigarette cards part 3". my North Borneo stamps. Retrieved 2026-01-14.