15929636460001312637261000Standard Recordobject-141607168668055882116428817960001686679273393fitz-onlineadlib-object-141607https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141607ff6d9775-325d-354a-8e6c-d569753c070b6referenceterm-42993adlib-term-4299393884c6f-c60c-39f7-a75d-f84d65288fe0medalreferenceterm-122711adlib-term-1227111db96904-a474-3b61-a8e5-6c2d9dd557abLester Watson CollectionCoins and MedalsThe First Anglo-Afghan War was brought about, against a background of British desire to control this troublesome area on the Indian North-West Frontier, by the campaign of the exiled Shah Shujah al-Mulk, to oust his brother Mahmud from the Afghan throne (something which he had done in 1803 in order to succeed in the first place).
After an unsuccessful attempt in 1833 backed by the ruler of the Punjab, Shujah managed to add British support for a campaign of 1839 and was thereby restored, although he was assassinated almost as soon as the British left the country, provoking a return to conflict for which other medals were awarded.
The most difficult part of the campaign was the capture of the fortress in the mountain pass of Ghazni, and for participation in this battle Shah Shujah had a medal stuck at Calcutta. He was dead before it could be issued, but Queen Victoria and the East India Company allowed it to be awarded through the usual channels anyway.
This medal was awarded to Captain Lawrence Fyler of the 16th Lancers, whose medal group has come entire into the Watson Collection and shows a career spent in India and the East fighting for the Crown from the 1830s to the 1850s.
This medal is attached to two others and the catalogue of the Watson Collection considers it as part of Group 8 (this comprising two assemblages and two loose medals). For provenance of the group see those entries.CM.1508-20091accession numberCM.1508-2009141607priref141607Watson Catalogue132orderingM-0396previous object numberLW.0366d1urihttps://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141607https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141607FortressobverseGHUZNEEdesignRecipient's name above mural crown, with laurel branches aroundreversedesignreferenceagent-149638adlib-agent-1496387376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8The Fitzwilliam MuseumGiven by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009referenceagent-206432adlib-agent-206432e0b1da8e-f9e4-30be-9257-f82c89d45afbWatson, Lester200920092009givenon loan to the Fitzwilliam Museum 2005-2009183918391839mintreferenceagent-167755adlib-agent-167755627a5b0f-5cae-3ff7-a61b-7f2fe07b5c96Calcuttarulerreferenceagent-174966adlib-agent-174966257c7639-8ffc-346c-a02e-34a95e91dfeaShuja al-Mulk (1803-9, 1839-42)issuerreferenceagent-167567adlib-agent-1675675ce1f666-30e0-383b-bee5-fff00c8b2f38East India Companyrulerreferenceagent-151398adlib-agent-151398bb2cd0a1-0a27-3787-a684-475d3b199972Victoria (1837-1901)referenceterm-123133adlib-term-123133f13e3f6e-a3e0-3063-8865-7cbee4ef9327Calcuttareferenceterm-39778adlib-term-397788bd60ed6-968d-3faf-8ad5-b4e4ee9bb245silverDiametermm37.2referencemedia-116765adlib-media-116765f4dab506-e882-309e-9987-0d7554f53e9fjpegcm/cm15/LW_0366d1_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels14716162856305321imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0366d1_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels14716162856305321imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0366d1_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels14716162856305321imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0366d1_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels14716162856305321image0media
imagereferencemedia-116766adlib-media-116766eb8b4e67-de93-3f1f-bf9e-f5682c74dae6jpegcm/cm15/LW_0366d1_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels15716162841601391imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0366d1_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels15716162841601391imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0366d1_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels15716162841601391imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0366d1_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels15716162841601391image1media
imagereferenceterm-122847adlib-term-122847c1c39ff9-b196-3a4c-888f-c313c01de25cGhuznee Medaldenominationreferenceterm-98222adlib-term-98222b5ccc43a-7491-344e-b6ca-5df39a11c50emedalsseriesreferenceterm-108659adlib-term-108659cc732dec-4543-389e-a737-cf22bb7d2ee2Militarysubseriesreferenceterm-117828adlib-term-117828a8696ec1-36e8-39d7-8919-3e44d81e4078Afghanistansubsubseriesreferenceterm-122717adlib-term-122717140af9ad-d215-34d9-9d42-52ecb5d3feadBritish Armysubsubsubserieshistory noteGift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection. bt Seaby 1929. Left to James Fyler (nephew) on recipient's death 1873.referenceagent-149638adlib-agent-1496387376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8The Fitzwilliam Museum209, 211-212referencepublication-5886adlib-publication-5886a6056c29-399c-38dd-9710-5b3f2d44b8a6British Battles and Medals 7th ednreferencepublication-5910adlib-publication-59100d1d8526-5493-32bd-93b4-acd4cdcec7f9British and other Campaign and Gallantry Medals From the Collection of Lester Watson (d. 1959)referenceterm-122847adlib-term-122847c1c39ff9-b196-3a4c-888f-c313c01de25cGhuznee MedalGhuznee Medalreferenceterm-119622adlib-term-119622dd6626e9-5822-307d-aa31-13c8813e7555struckobject
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