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Indian General Service Medal (1908-35): CM.1485-2009

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Mint: London
Ruler: George V (1910-36)
Artist: Garbe, Richard
Ruler: GEORGIVS V KAISAR. I. HIND (With the title of)

Entities

Categories

Description

The India Medal of 1895 having needed alteration for its last issues due to the death of Queen Victoria, in 1908 it was decided to replace it entirely with a new medal of Edward VII, first issued in 1909. When the first issue was made under King George V, in 1911, Richard Garbe designed a new obverse but the medal was otherwise unaltered.
Part of the border between India and Tibet is settled by the isolated tribe known today as the Adis. The Indian troops campaigning against this people between October 1911 and April 1912 knew them instead as the Abors, which is supposedly an Assamese coining meaning `those who cannot be controlled'. This nicely encapsulates the opposition that lay behind the campaign.
This medal was awarded to Subadar Jangbir Rana, of the 8th Gurkha Rifles. It is one of four medals that were awarded to him that are now in the Watson Collection; the others precede. The medals are not attached to each other, so although the Watson Collection catalogue considers them as Group 3, they have been treated separately here. All the same, it was as a group that Lester Watson purchased them from the dealer Gifford, in 1928.

Notes

History note: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt Gifford 1928

Legal notes

Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 36.4 mm
Weight: 45.21 g

Place(s) associated

  • London

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (2009) by Watson, Lester

Dating

1912 - 1930

Materials used in production

Silver

Techniques used in production

Struck

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: Bust of George facing left

  • Text: GEORGIVS V KAISAR-I-HIND
  • Location: Obverse
  • Type: Design

Inscription present: Jamrud fort overlooking Khyber Pass with mountains behind

  • Location: Reverse
  • Type: Design

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: CM.1485-2009
Primary reference Number: 141581
Watson Catalogue: 175
Ordering: M-0370
Previous object number: LW.0361d
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Saturday 22 January 2022 Last processed: Tuesday 13 June 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Coins and Medals

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Indian General Service Medal (1908-35)" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/141581 Accessed: 2024-04-20 13:57:59

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/141581 |title=Indian General Service Medal (1908-35) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-04-20 13:57:59|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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