India General Service Medal

 

General Service In India & Neighbouring Territories Between 1852 - 1895.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

The India General Service Medal was a British Empire campaign medal presented to those who participated in operations in India and neighbouring territories for which no other separate medal was intended. The medal was instituted in 1854 and was awarded for participation in various military campaigns in India and neighbouring territories including Burma, Tibet and Persia between 1852 and 1895.

 

Each campaign, operation, expedition or action covered by the medal was represented by a clasp, of which 24 were sanctioned - the maximum awarded to any one man is thought to be seven.

 

 

The medal is circular, 36mm in diameter and was struck in either silver or bronze. The obverse of this medal depicts the diademed head of Queen Victoria with the inscription; ‘VICTORIA REGINA’.

 

The reverse depicts the figure of Victory crowning a seated Roman warrior with a laurel wreath. In the outer edge can be seen the designer mark of L. C. Wyon. 

 

The ribbon suspender is of the swivelling ornate scroll style, attached to the medal by a claw mount.

 

The recipient's details can be found on the medal's rim, however because this medal was issued for over 40 years, the style of naming varies considerably.

 

Many of the earlier issues appear in the same type of impressing as the Military General Service Medal while later issues are often found engraved in running script, as well as being impressed.

 

The medal was initially awarded in silver to all ranks, regardless of race or branch of service. However, starting from 1885 (with the Burma 1885-7 bar) the medal and clasp were issued in bronze to native support personnel such as bearers, sweepers, and drivers.

 

 

 

The ribbon in 32mm wide and is red in colour with two dark blue stripes.

 

 

This medal was issued with the following clasps:-

 

 

NB: The medal was never issued without a clasp.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

 

* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.

 

** The individual medal value will vary considerably based on the recipient’s details.

 

*** Due to the large number of clasps available for this medal, the value for medals which contains certain clasps will vary considerably.

 

 

This section contains information on:-

 

- The Treaty Of Yandabo.

- The Second Anglo-Burmese War.

- The City Of Bago.

- The Anglo-Persian War.

- The North-West Frontier.

- The Ambela Campaign.

- The Bhutan War.

- The Lushai Expedition.

- The Perak War.

- The Jowaki Expedition.

- The Naga Expedition.

- The Third Anglo-Burmese War.

- The Sikkim Expedition.

- The Hazara Expedition.

- The Chim Hill Expedition.

- The Lushai People.

- The Samana Range.

- The Battle Of Saragarhi.

- The Tirah Campaign.

- The North-East Frontier.

- The British Rule In Manipur.

- The Hunza-Nagar Campaign.

- The British Rule In Burma.

- The Kachin Hills Expedition.

- The Waziristan Campaign.

- The British Indian Army.

 

The Treaty Of Yandabo – The Treaty of Yandabo was the peace treaty that ended the First Anglo-Burmese War. The treaty was signed on 24 February 1826, nearly two years after the war formally broke out on 5 March 1824, by General Sir Archibald Campbell on the British side, and by Governor of Legaing Maha Min Hla Kyaw Htin from the Burmese side. With the British army at Yandabo village, only 80 km (50 mi) from the capital Ava, the Burmese were forced to accept the British terms without discussion.

 

According to the treaty, the Burmese agreed to (1) cede to the British Assam, Manipur, Rakhine (Arakan), and Taninthayi (Tenasserim) coast south of Salween river, (2) cease all interference in Cachar and Jaintia, (3) pay an indemnity of one million pounds sterling in four installments, (4) allow for an exchange of diplomatic representatives between Ava and Calcutta, and (5) sign a commercial treaty in due course.

 

The treaty ended the longest and most expensive war in British Indian history. Fifteen thousand European and Indian soldiers died, together with an unknown (but almost certainly higher) number of Burmese. The campaign cost the British five million pounds sterling (roughly 18.5 billion in 2006 dollars) to 13 million pounds sterling; this expenditure led to a severe economic crisis in British India in 1833.

 

But for the Burmese, it was to be the beginning of the end of their independence. The Third Burmese Empire, briefly the terror of British India, was effectively undone, crippled and no longer a threat to the eastern frontier of British India. The Burmese would be crushed for years to come by repaying the huge indemnity of one million pounds, a large sum even in Europe of that time.

 

The British would make two more wars against the much weaker Burmese, and swallow up the entire country by 1885.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Second Anglo-Burmese War - The Second Anglo-Burmese War 5 April 1852 - 20 December 1852) was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese and British forces during the 19th century, with the outcome of the gradual extinction of Burmese sovereignty

 

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The City Of Bago - After the Second Anglo-Burmese War, the British annexed Bago in 1852. In 1862, the province of British Burma was formed, and the capital moved to Yangon.

 

The name Bago is spelt peh kou literally. The substantial differences between the colloquial and literary pronunciations, as with Burmese words, was a reason of the British corruption 'Pegu'.

 

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The Anglo-Persian War - The Anglo-Persian War lasted between November 1, 1856 and April 4, 1857, and was fought between Great Britain and Persia (which was at the time ruled by the Qajar dynasty). In the war, the British opposed an attempt by Persia to press its claim on the city of Herat.

 

Though Herat had been part of Persia under the Qajar dynasty at the time the war broke out, it had declared itself independent under its own rebellious emir and placed itself under the protection of the British in India and in alliance with the Emirate of Kabul (the forebear of the modern state of Afghanistan).

 

The campaign was successfully conducted under the leadership of Major General Sir James Outram in two theatres - on the southern coast of Persia near Bushehr and in southern Mesopotamia. The war resulted with Persia withdrawing from Herat and signing a new treaty in which it surrendered its claims on the city and the British withdrawing from southern Persia.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The North-West Frontier - The North-West Frontier region of British India was the most difficult area to conquer in the Indian subcontinent, strategically and militarily.

 

It remains the western frontier of present-day Pakistan, extending from the Pamir Knot in the north to the Koh-i-Malik Siah in the west, and separating the present-day Pakistani frontier regions of North-West Frontier Province (renamed as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan to the east from neighbouring Afghanistan in the west. The borderline between is officially known as the Durand Line and divides Pashtun inhabitants of these provinces from their kinsmen in Afghanistan.

 

The two main gateways on the North West Frontier are the Khyber and Bolan Passes. Since ancient times, the Indian subcontinent has been repeatedly invaded through these northwestern routes.

 

With the expansion of the Russian Empire into Central Asia in the twentieth century, stability of the Frontier and control of Afghanistan became cornerstones of defensive strategy for British India.

 

Much of the Frontier was conquered by Ranjit Singh in the early 19th century, and then taken over by the East India Company when it annexed the Punjab in 1849.

 

Between 1849 and 1947 the military history of the frontier was a succession of punitive expeditions against offending Pashtun (or Pathan) tribes, punctuated by three wars against Afghanistan. Many British officers who went on to distinguished command in the First and Second World Wars learnt their soldiering on the North-West Frontier, which they called the 'Grim'.

 

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The Ambela Campaign - The Ambela Campaign (also called Umbeyla; Umbeylah; Ambeyla) was one of numerous expeditions led by British forces in the border area between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the Punjab Province of British India (this area was formally renamed to North-West Frontier Province in 1901, present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa); this campaign was against local Pashtuns of Yusufzai tribes of the border region between British India and Afghanistan.

 

The local Pashtuns were vehemently opposed to British colonial rule and frequently attacked British forces. In 1858, an expedition led by Sir Sydney Cotton drove the Pashtuns from their base. By 1863 however they had regrouped around the mountain outpost of Malka. A force led by Neville Bowles Chamberlain planned to destroy Malka.

 

They set up an operational base in the Chamla Valley accessed by the Ambela Pass, but they were soon bogged down a numerically superior local force. Reinforcements drafted in by the local Commander-in-Chief eventually broke through the pass, received the surrender of the Bunerwals and went on to burn Malka.

 

The expedition saw 1,000 British casualties and an unknown number of Indian casualties.

 

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The Bhutan War - The Bhutan War (or Duar War) was a war fought between British India and Bhutan in 1864–1865.

 

Britain sent a peace mission to Bhutan in early 1864, in the wake of the recent conclusion of a civil war there, under Ashley Eden. The dzongpon of Punakha - who had emerged victorious - had broken with the central government and set up a rival Druk Desi while the legitimate druk desi sought the protection of the ponlop of Paro and was later deposed.

 

The British mission dealt alternately with the rival ponlop of Paro and the ponlop of Tongsa (the latter acted on behalf of the druk desi), but Bhutan rejected the peace and friendship treaty it offered. Britain declared war in November 1864.

 

Bhutan had no regular army, and what forces existed were composed of dzong guards armed with matchlocks, bows and arrows, swords, knives, and catapults. Some of these dzong guards, carrying shields and wearing chainmail armor, engaged the well-equipped British forces.

 

The fort, known at the time as Dewangiri, at Deothang was dismantled by the British during 1865. The British initially suffered a humiliating defeat at Deothang and when they recaptured Dewangiri they destroyed much in an attempt to compensate.

 

The Duar War (1864–1865) lasted only five months and, despite some battlefield victories by Bhutanese forces, resulted in Bhutan's defeat, loss of part of its sovereign territory, and forced cession of formerly occupied territories.

 

Under the terms of the Treaty of Sinchula, signed November 11, 1865, Bhutan ceded territories in the Assam Duars and Bengal Duars, as well as the 83 km² of territory of Dewangiri in southeastern Bhutan, in return for an annual subsidy of 50,000 rupees.

 

The Treaty of Sinchula stood until 1910, when Bhutan and British India signed the Treaty of Punakha, effective until 1947.

 

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The Lushai Expedition - The British Indian Army Lushai Expedition of 1871 to 1872 was a punitive incursion under the command of Generals Brownlow and Bourchier.

 

The objectives of the expedition were to rescue British subjects who had been captured by the Lushais in raids into Assam - including a six year old girl called Mary Winchester - and to convince the hill tribes of the region that they had nothing to gain and everything to lose by placing themselves in a hostile position towards the British Government.

 

For the British, the expedition was a success: the prisoners were freed and the hill tribes agreed to negotiated peace terms. The border region was to remain peaceful until 1888 when large scaled raiding was resumed and another punitive expedition was organised.

 

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The Perak War - British influence in Perak, a state in northwestern Malaysia, began in 1818 when trading agreements were first made with local chiefs. The Pangkor Treaty of 1874 allowed Britain to send its first resident, James W.W. Birch (d. 1875), to take charge of governmental administrative affairs. Soon after his arrival later in 1874, Birch changed many old-fashioned and inefficient procedures and policies, especially those concerning revenue collection and slavery.

 

The sultan of Upper Perak and other Malay chiefs met secretly in July 1875, and decided to get rid of Birch, whose ways of modernization they opposed, and to end all foreign influences. While in Upper Perak on tax business, Birch was murdered by one of the chiefs and his warriors. British troops were promptly sent into Perak and quickly stamped out all resistance.

 

By mid-1876, the dissident chiefs were arrested, and later tried and punished; the sultan was deposed. The Malayans had failed to halt the increasing British political and economic influence; subsequent British residents, however, did not try to make changes on their own but instead operated jointly with the native Malay rulers.

 

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The Jowaki Expedition - In 1877 the British government proposed to reduce the Jowaki allowance for guarding the Kohat Pass, and the tribesmen showed their resentment of this by cutting the telegraph wire and raiding into British territory.

 

A force of 1500 troops penetrated their country in three columns, and did considerable damage by way of punishment. However, the attitude of the Jowakis continued the same and their raids into British territory went on. A much stronger force, therefore, of 7400 British troops, divided into three columns, in 1877-78 destroyed their principal villages and occupied their country for some time, until the tribe submitted and accepted government terms. The Kohat Pass was afterwards practically undisturbed.

 

At the time of the British advance into Afghanistan in 1878, during the Second Afghan War, the Zakka Khel opposed the British advance and attacked their outposts. A force of 2500 British troops traversed their country, and the tribesmen made their submission.

 

The Afridis of the Khyber Pass continued to cause the British trouble during the progress of the Second Afghan War, so another force of 3750 British troops traversed their country, and after suffering some loss the tribesmen made their submission.

 

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The Naga Expedition - Apart from cultural contacts with the neighboring Ahoms, the rulers of Assam from 1228, the Naga had little or no contact with the outside world, including that of greater India, until British colonization of the area in the nineteenth century.

 

In 1828, Britain annexed Assam following the Treaty of Yandabo in 1826. In the 1830s, the British sent expeditionary forces, and in 1845, the colonial power succeeded in concluding a non-aggression pact with Naga chiefs, who formerly had attacked bordering areas in Assam. But the Naga repeatedly violated the agreement, continuing to raid in Assam.

 

After the 1830s, British attempts to annex the region to India were met with sustained and effective guerrilla resistance from Naga groups, particularly the Angami Naga tribe. The British dispatched military expeditions and succeeded in building a military post in 1851 and establishing some bases in the region.

 

In 1878 the Angamis mounted raids on British camps. The British responded strongly, burning several rebel villages and crushing the resistance. Eventually the region came under the administration of the British.

 

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The Third Anglo-Burmese War - The Third Anglo-Burmese War, also known as the Third Burma War, was a conflict that took place during 7–29 November 1885, with sporadic resistance and insurgency continuing into 1887.

 

It was the final of three wars fought in the 19th century between the Burmese and the British. The war saw the loss of sovereignty of an independent Burma under the Konbaung Dynasty, whose rule had already been reduced to the territory known as Upper Burma, the region of Lower Burma having been annexed by the British in 1853, as a result of the Second Anglo-Burmese War.

 

Following the war, Burma came under the rule of the British Raj as a province of India. From 1937 the British governed Burma as a separate colony. After World War II Burma achieved independence as a republic in 1948.

 

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The Sikkim Expedition - The Sikkim Expedition of 1888 was a British military expedition to expel Tibetan forces from Sikkim. The roots of the conflict lay in British-Tibetan competition for sovereignty over Sikkim.

 

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The Hazara Expedition - The Hazara Expedition of 1888, also known as the Black Mountain Expedition or the First Hazara Expedition, was a military campaign by the British against the tribes of Kala Dhaka (then known as the Black Mountains of Hazara) in the Hazara region of what is now Pakistan.

 

On June 18, 1888 two British officers and four Gurkha soldiers were killed in an altercation between British reconnaissance patrols and antagonistic tribes.

 

As a response, the Hazara Field Force was assembled and began its march on October 4, 1888, after an ultimatum had not been satisfied by the tribes by October 2, 1888.

 

The first phase of the campaign ended with the Hassanzai and Akazai tribes requesting an armistice on October 19, 1888. The second phase of the campaign targeted the tribes that lived north of Black Mountain such as the Allaiwals.

 

The campaign ended when the Allaiwal village of Pokal was occupied and destroyed by the British on November 2 and 3, 1888.

 

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The Chim Hill Expedition - The Chin Hills are a range of mountains in Chin State, northwestern Burma (Myanmar) that extends northward into India's Manipur state. They are part of the Arakan Mountain Range (Arakan Yoma).

 

The area is populated by the Chin people who like their neighbours to the west are a Laimi people. In addition to subsistence agriculture the Chin raided the villages of the Burman on the plains of the Myittha and Chindwin rivers, as well as each other.

 

In 1888, the British began a military campaign to end these raids which resulted in pacification of the province by 1896, and it was administratively added to Burma as a special division.

 

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The Lushai People - The LushaI hills are inhabited by the Lushais and other Mizo tribes, but the population is extremely scanty. From the earliest known times the original inhabitants were Kukis, and the Lushais were not heard of until 1840, when they invaded the district from the north.

 

Their first attack upon British territory took place in November 1849, and after that date they proved one of the most troublesome tribes on the north-east frontier of India; but operations in 1890 resulted in the complete pacification of the northern Lushai villages, and in 1892 the eastern Lushais were reduced to order.

 

The management of the South Lushai hill country was transferred from Bengal to Assam in 1898. To obtain more efficient control over the country the district has been divided into eighteen circles, each in charge of an interpreter, through whom all orders are transmitted to the chiefs. The Welsh Presbyterian Mission began work at Aijal in 1897, and the people have shown unexpected readiness to accept education.

 

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The Samana Range - The Samana Range is a mountain ridge in the Kohat District of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, commanding the southern boundary of Tirah. The ridge lies between the Khanki Valley on the north and the Miranzai Valley on the south, and extends for some 30 m. west from Hangu to the Samana Suk. It is some 6000 to 7000 ft. high.

 

Beyond the Samana Suk lies the pass, known as the Chagru Kotal, across which the Tirah Campaign marched in 1897. On the opposite hill on the other side of this road is the famous position of Dargai.

 

After the Miranzai Expedition of 1891 this range was occupied by British troops and eleven posts were established along its crest, the two chief posts being Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan. In 1897 all the forts on the Samana were attacked by the Orakzais, this is when the Battle of Saragarhi took place and this and the Afridi attack on the Khyber Pass were the two chief causes of the Tirah Expedition.

 

When Lord Curzon reorganized the frontier in 1900, British garrisons were withdrawn from the Samana forts, which were then held by a corps of tribal police 450 strong, called the Samana Rifles.

 

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The Battle Of Saragarhi - The Battle of Saragarhi was fought before the Tirah Campaign on 12 September 1897 between twenty-one Sikhs of the 36th Sikhs (now the 4th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment) of British India, defending an army post, and 10,000 Afghan and Orakzai tribesmen.

 

The battle occurred in the North-West Frontier Province, which formed part of British India. It is now named the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and is part of Pakistan.

 

The contingent of the twenty-one Sikhs from the 36th Sikhs was led by Havildar Ishar Singh. They all chose to fight to the death. It is considered by some military historians as one of history's great last-stands.

 

Sikh military personnel and Sikh civilians commemorate the battle every year on 12 September, as Saragarhi Day as the battle was giving the honour of a regimental holiday.

 

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The Tirah Campaign - The Tirah Campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah Expedition, was an Indian frontier war in 1897–1898. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country.

 

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The North-East Frontier - In the early 19th century, both the Ahom and the Manipur kingdoms fell to a Burmese invasion. The ensuing First Anglo-Burmese War resulted in the entire region coming under British control. In the colonial period (1826-1947), North East India was a part of Bengal Province from 1839 to 1873, when Assam became its own province.

 

After the Indian Independence from British Rule in 1947, the Northeastern region of British India consisted of Assam and the princely states of Manipur and Tripura. Subsequently, Nagaland in 1963, Meghalaya in 1972, Arunachal Pradesh in 1975 (Capital changed to Itanagar actually formed on 20 Feb, 1987) and Mizoram in 1987 were formed out of Assam.

 

Manipur and Tripura remained as Union Territories of India between 1956 until 1972 when they attained fully-fledged statehood. Sikkim was integrated as the eighth North Eastern Council state in 2002.

 

The city of Shillong acted as the capital of the Assam province created during the British Rule. It remained as the capital of undivided Assam until formation of the state of Meghalaya in 1972. The capital of Assam was then shifted to Dispur, a part of Guwahati, and Shillong became the capital of Meghalaya.

 

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The British Rule In Manipur - Manipur became a princely state under British rule in 1891; the last of the independent states to be incorporated into British India. During the Second World War, Manipur was the scene of many fierce battles between Japanese and Allied forces.

 

The Japanese were beaten back before they could enter Imphal, which proved to be one of the turning points of the War.

 

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The Hunza-Nagar Campaign - The Hunza-Nagar Campaign was fought in 1891 by troops of the India against the princely states of Hunza and Nagar in the Gilgit Agency (now part of the Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan). It is known in Pakistan as the 'Anglo-Brusho War'.

 

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The British Rule In Burma - British rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the Anglo-Burmese wars through the creation of Burma as a Province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally independence.

 

Various portions of Burmese territories, including Arakan, Tenasserim were annexed by the British after their victory in the First Anglo-Burmese War; Lower Burma was annexed in 1852 after the Second Anglo-Burmese War. The annexed territories were designated the minor province (a Chief Commissionership), British Burma, of British India in 1862.

 

After the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885, Upper Burma was annexed, and the following year, the province of Burma in British India was created, becoming a major province (a Lieutenant-Governorship) in 1897.

 

This arrangement lasted until 1937, when Burma began to be administered separately by the Burma Office under the Secretary of State for India and Burma. Burma achieved independence from British rule on 4 January 1948.

 

Burma is sometimes referred to as 'the Scottish Colony', due to the heavy role played by Scotsmen in colonising and running the country, one of the most notable being Sir James Scott, and the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company.

 

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The Kachin Hills Expedition - The Kachin Hills are a heavily forested group of highlands in the extreme northeastern area of the Kachin State of Burma. It consists of a series of ranges running mostly in a N/S direction, including the Kumon Bum Mountains of which the highest peak is Bumhpa Bum.

 

According to the Kachin Hill Tribes Regulation of 1895, administrative responsibility was accepted by the British government on the left bank of the Irrawaddy for the country south of the Nmaikha, and on the right bank for the country south of a line drawn from the confluence of the Malikha and Nmaikha through the northern limit of the Laban district and including the jade mines.

 

The tribes north of this line were told that if they abstained from raiding to the south of it they would not be interfered with. South of that line peace was to be enforced and a small tribute exacted, with a minimum of interference in-their private affairs.

 

On the British side of the border, the chief objects of Britain's colonial policy were the disarmament of the tribes and construction of frontier and internal roads. A light tribute was exacted. The Kachins have been the object of many police operations and expeditions:

 

During the Expedition of 1892-93, Bhamo was occupied by the British on December 28, 1885, and almost immediately, trouble began. Constant punitive measures were carried on by the military police; but in December 1892, a police column proceeding to establish a post at Sima was heavily attacked, and simultaneously the town of Myitkyina was raided by Kachins.

 

A force of 1200 troops was sent to put down the rising. The enemy received their final blow at Palap, but not before three officers were killed, three wounded and 102 sepoys and followers killed and wounded.

 

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The Waziristan Campaign - North Waziristan is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northeast Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering 11,585 square kilometres (4,473 sq mi). Waziristan comprises the area west and south-west of Peshawar between the Kurram River (Tochi River) to the north and the Gomal River to the south.

 

When the British took over the administration of the settled district of Bannu in 1849, the tribes of North Waziristan were under the sovereignty of the Kabul government.

 

The British, therefore, entered North Waziristan in 1894 and made agreements with the tribes. The British introduced a regular system of land record and revenue administration for the most fertile part of the Tochi valley. It was later in the year 1910 when North Waziristan was made a full-fledged agency.

 

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The British Indian Army - The British Indian Army, officially named just the Indian Army, was the principal army of India before independence in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of both British India and the Princely states, which could also have their own armies. The Indian Army was an important part of the British Empire's forces, both in India and abroad, particularly during the First World War and the Second World War.

 

The term 'Indian Army' appears to have been first used informally, as a collective description of the Presidency armies (the Bengal Army, the Madras Army and the Bombay Army) of the Presidencies of British India, particularly after the Indian Rebellion.

 

The first army officially called the 'Indian Army' was raised by the government of India in 1895, existing alongside the three long-established presidency armies. However, in 1903 the Indian Army absorbed these three armies.

 

The Indian Army should not be confused with the 'Army of India' (1903-1947) which was the Indian Army itself plus the 'British Army in India' (British units sent to India).

 

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