India Medal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids India Medal
Type	Campaign medal
Eligibility	British and Indian forces.
Awarded for	Campaign service.
Campaign(s)	India 1895–1902.
Description	Silver or bronze disk, 36mm diameter.
Clasps	Defence of Chitral 1895 Relief of Chitral 1895 Punjab Frontier 1897–98 Malakand 1897 Samana 1897 Tirah 1897–98 Waziristan 1901–02
Statistics
Established	1896
Ribbon bar

The India Medal was a special award given to soldiers. It was approved in 1896 for officers and men from the British and Indian armies. This medal was given for different small military actions in India. Most of these happened on the North-West Frontier between 1895 and 1902. The India Medal took the place of an older medal called the India General Service Medal (1854). Each different campaign had a special bar, called a clasp, that was added to the medal's ribbon. There were seven of these clasps.

What the Medal Looked Like

The India Medal was given in two main types. Soldiers from the British and Indian armies received a silver medal. Local bearers and servants received a bronze medal.

Front and Back of the Medal

The front side of the medal is called the obverse. It showed the side profile of Queen Victoria. However, if a medal was given for the Waziristan 1901–02 campaign, it showed King Edward VII instead. Both versions had a special message written on them.

The back side of the medal is called the reverse. This side was designed by G. W. de Saulles. It showed a British soldier and an Indian soldier standing together. They were carrying a flag with the words "India 1895" on it. The version with King Edward VII on the front did not have the date "1895" on the back.

The Medal's Ribbon

The ribbon for the India Medal was about 32 millimeters (1.25 inches) wide. It had five stripes of equal size. The colors were red, green, red, green, and red.

Engraved Details

The name and other details of the person who received the medal were carved into its edge. This was usually done in a flowing, cursive writing style.

Here are some different designs for the front of the medal:

• 

  Queen Victoria (1895-1901)

• 

  King Edward VII, for Waziristan 1901-02

Special Bars for Campaigns

The India Medal came with special bars, called clasps. These clasps were attached to the ribbon. Each clasp represented a specific military campaign or event. Here are the clasps that were issued with the medal:

• Defence of Chitral 1895

This clasp was for soldiers who helped defend Chitral. This happened from March 3 to April 13, 1895.

• Relief of Chitral 1895

This clasp was for those who helped rescue Chitral. This event took place from March 7 to August 15, 1895.

• Punjab Frontier 1897–98

This clasp was for service on the Punjab Frontier. This period lasted from June 10, 1897, to April 6, 1898.

• Malakand 1897

This clasp was given to troops involved in the Siege of Malakand. This siege happened from July 26 to August 2, 1897.

• Samana 1897

This clasp was for actions in the Samana region. This took place from August 2 to October 2, 1897.

• Tirah 1897–98

This clasp was for service during the Tirah Campaign. This campaign ran from October 2, 1897, to April 6, 1898.

• Waziristan 1901–02

This clasp was for service in Waziristan. This campaign occurred from November 23, 1901, to March 10, 1902.