War Medals and Their HistorySteward, William Augustus
History
War Medals and Their History
Steward, William Augustus
Great Britain. Army -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.
=H.E.I. Co.'s Medal for Egypt.=--The Military and General Service
medal, with bar for Egypt, was not issued to the survivors of the
series of strenuous fights which concluded with the capitulation
of Alexandria, until February 11th, 1850, almost forty-nine years
after. Meanwhile a large number of the army of about 5,000 men, which
sailed from India under the command of Sir David Baird, had received
a special medal from the Honourable East India Company, which, by a
General Order, was granted on July 31st, 1802. The promptitude of the
Company in rewarding soldiers stands out in pleasant relief against the
thoughtlessness or procrastination of the home Government. This army
of 2,000 Europeans, 2,000 sepoys, and 400 artillerymen, marched across
the Nubian Desert to Keneh, and after descending the Nile encamped at
Rosetta, but saw no fighting. The British regiments which formed part
of the army to cross the desert were the 10th and 61st Regiments of
foot, and detachments of the 80th, 86th, and 88th.
[Illustration: PENINSULAR GOLD MEDAL.
Awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel Alex. Gordon, 83rd Foot, who was killed
at Talavera.]
Silver medals, 1⅑ in. in diameter, were struck for about half the
force, and sixteen gold ones. The medal, illustrated facing page 12,
bears on the obverse an energetic figure of a sepoy, carrying the Union
Jack, with a background suggesting a camp. In the exergue is a Persian
inscription to the effect that the medal is presented to commemorate
the defeat of the French armies in Egypt by the bravery and ability
of the victorious army of England. On the reverse, suggestive of the
transportation of troops, is a ship in full sail, and on the land which
forms the background the Pyramids and an obelisk indicative of Egypt.
In the exergue is the date MDCCCI.
=Order of the Crescent.=--Selim III presented a series of gold medals
to the officers who took part in the operations. These varied in
weight and size, some being set with diamonds, while a few of the
larger ones were enamelled crimson in the centre. The medals, being
struck from different dies, have the crescent either on the right or
left of the star. The principal naval and military officers received
medals measuring 2⅒ in. in diameter; those ranking next received a
lighter and smaller medal, 1⁹⁄₁₀ in. in diameter; while a third medal,
given to captains, was still lighter and only 1⅞ in. in diameter.
The non-commissioned officers received a silver medal 1⁴⁄₁₀ in. in
diameter, so that one may gauge by the size the rank of the officer who
received it. The medals were suspended from an orange-coloured ribbon
by means of a hook and chain. I have seen specimens without attachment
for suspension.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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