Tibet Medal

 

The Gyantse Campaign In Tibet 1903 - 1904.

 

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

 

 

The Tibet Medal was a British Empire campaign medal presented for service in during the Gyantse campaign in Tibet. The medal was instituted in 1905 and was awarded to members of the Tibet Mission and accompanying troops who served at or beyond Silgari from 13 December 1903 to 23 September 1904.

 

Most issues of this medal went to Indian troops who along with British personnel were awarded this medal in silver. Camp followers received the medal in bronze.

 

 

The medal is circular, 36mm in diameter and was struck in either silver or bronze. The obverse of this medal bears the head of King Edward VII and the inscription; ‘EDWARDVS VII KAISER-I-HIND’.

 

The reverse depicts the fortified city of Lhasa on top of a hill with the inscription; 'TIBET 1903-04' below.

 

The ribbon suspender is of the swivelling ornate scroll type.

 

The recipient's details can be found on the medal's rim impressed in capital letters or engraved.

 

 

 

The ribbon is 32mm wide and is green in colour with a central red stripe with a narrow white stripe to either side.

 

 

This medal was issued with the following clasps:-

 

 

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.

 

 

This section contains information on:-

 

- The British Expedition To Tibet.

 

The British Expedition To Tibet - The British expedition to Tibet began in December 1903 and lasted until September 1904. The expedition was effectively a temporary invasion by British Indian forces under the auspices of the Tibet Frontier Commission, whose purported mission was to establish diplomatic relations and resolve the dispute over the border between Tibet and Sikkim.

 

In the nineteenth century, the British conquered Burma and Sikkim, occupying the whole southern flank of Tibet, which remained the only Himalayan kingdom free of British influence.

 

The expedition was intended to counter Russia's perceived ambitions in the East and was initiated largely by Lord Curzon, the head of the British India government. Curzon had long obsessed over Russia's advance into Central Asia and now feared a Russian invasion of British India.

 

In April 1903, the British received clear assurances from the Russian government that it had no interest in Tibet. 'In spite, however, of the Russian assurances, Lord Curzon continued to press for the dispatch of a mission to Tibet', a high level British political officer noted.

 

The expedition fought its way to Gyantse and eventually reached Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, in August 1904. The Dalai Lama had fled to safety, first in Mongolia and later in China, but thousands of Tibetans armed with antiquated muzzle-loaders and swords had been mown down by modern rifles and Maxim machine guns while attempting to block the British advance.

 

At Lhasa, the Commission forced remaining low-level Tibetan officials to sign the Great Britain and Tibet Convention (1904), before withdrawing to Sikkim in September, with the understanding the Chinese government would not permit any other country to interfere with the administration of Tibet

 

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.