Afghanistan Medal (United Kingdom)
Afghanistan Medal | |
---|---|
![]() ![]() Obverse and reverse of the medal. | |
Type | Campaign medal |
Awarded for | Campaign service. |
Description | Silver disk, 36mm diameter. |
Presented by | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
Eligibility | British and Indian forces. |
Campaign(s) | Afghanistan 1878–1880. |
Clasps | Ali Musjid Peiwar Kotal Charasia Kabul Ahmed Khel Kandahar |
Established | 19 March 1881 |
![]() | |
Related | Kabul to Kandahar Star |
The Afghanistan Medal, sanctioned on 19 March 1881, was awarded to members of the British and Indian armies who served in Afghanistan between 1878 and 1880 during the Second Afghan War, the first war being from 1839 to 1842.
The war was caused by British fears of increasing Russian involvement in Afghan affairs. In 1877 the Afghan Amir refused to accept a British Resident and in 1878 agreed a treaty with Russia granting it protective rights in Afghanistan. In response, a British-led force entered the country in November 1878 and advanced on Kabul. After defeats at Ali Musjid and Peiwar Kotal, the Afghans sued for peace and accepted a British Resident in Kabul, the war ending on 26 May 1879. After the Resident was murdered on 3 September 1879, the war recommenced. A British-led force occupied Kabul, defeating the Afghans en route at Charasia. Sporadic fighting continued and after defeat at Maiwand, a British force was besieged in Kandahar. General Roberts led a column that marched from Kabul to relieve Kandahar, the resulting Afghan defeat leading to the conclusion of the war in September 1880.[1] The soldiers who took part in General Roberts' march were awarded the Kabul to Kandahar Star in addition to the Afghanistan Medal.[2]
Medals awarded to the 66th Foot (Berkshire Regiment) and E Battery of B Brigade, Royal Artillery, rate a high premium as these units sustained the heaviest casualties at the battle of Maiwand in July 1880.[3]
When the first phase of the war ended in May 1879, it was proposed that the India General Service Medal be issued with clasps for Afghanistan, Ali Musjid and Peiwar Kotal. However, when the war recommenced in September 1879, it was decided to award a distinct medal to cover the whole campaign.[4]
Description
The Afghanistan Medal is a circular silver medal, 36 millimetres (1.4 in) in diameter, with the following design:[5]
- The obverse shows a veiled effigy of Queen Victoria, facing left, with "VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX" around the edge.
- The reverse shows marching and mounted soldiers with arms with an elephant carrying a cannon. In the upper-left of the medal around the edges is "AFGHANISTAN" and on the bottom in a straight line is "1878-79-80"
- The medal hangs from a plain suspender which is attached to the medal with a double toe claw. The ribbon is 33 millimetres (1.3 in) wide and is dark green with broad crimson edges.
- The recipient's rank, name and unit are engraved on the rim of the medal.
- Plain silver clasps were awarded and are found as follows:
- "ALI MUSJID" (21 November 1878)
- "PEIWAR KOTAL" (2 December 1878)
- "CHARASIA" (6 October 1879)
- "KABUL" (10–23 December 1879)
- "AHMED KHEL" (19 April 1880)
- "KANDAHAR" (1 September 1880)
The maximum number of clasps awarded to any one man was four.[3]
The medal was awarded without a clasp to those who saw service in Afghanistan between 22 November 1878 – 26 May 1879, or 3 September 1879 – 20 September 1880, but did not take part in these major actions.[6]
See also
Notes
Bibliography
- Dorling, Captain H. Taprell. (1956) Ribbons and Medals. A.H.Baldwin & Sons, London, UK.
- Duckers, P. (2000) British Campaign Medals 1815–1914. Shire Publications Limited, Buckinghamshire, UK.
- Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin. (1988) British Battles and Medals. Spink & Son, London, UK.
- Mayo, John Horsley. (1897). Medals and Decorations of the British Army and Navy, Volume II. A. Constable & Co, London, UK.
- Mussel, J (eds). (2015) Medals Yearbook – 2015. Token Publishing Limited, Devon, UK.
- Roberts, Field Marshal Lord. (1897). Forty-one Years in India. Richard Bentley & Son, London, UK.
External links
- The Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-1880
- v
- t
- e
Naval General Service Medal (1793–1840)
Naval Gold Medal (1793–1815)
Military General Service Medal (1793–1814)
Army of India Medal (1803–26)
Army Gold Cross/Army Gold Medal (1806–14)
Waterloo Medal (1815)
South Africa Medal (1834–6, 1846–7, 1850–3)
Ghuznee Medal (1839)
First China War Medal (1839–42)
Jellalabad Medals (1841–2)
Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul Medal (1842)
Medal for the Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie (1842)
Scinde Medal (1843)
Gwalior Star (1843)
Sutlej Medal (1845–6)
New Zealand Medal (1845–7, 1860–6)
Punjab Medal (1848–9)
India General Service Medal (1852–95)
Baltic Medal (1854–5)
Crimean War Medal (1854–6)
Indian Mutiny Medal (1857–8)
Second China War Medal (1857–60)
Canada General Service Medal (1866–70)
Abyssinian War Medal (1867–8)
Ashantee Medal (1873–4)
South Africa Medal (1877–9)
Afghanistan Medal (1878–80)
Kabul to Kandahar Star (1880)
Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal (1880-1, 1896–7)
Egypt Medal (1882–9)
Royal Niger Company Medal (1886–97)
North West Canada Medal (1885)
East and West Africa Medal (1887–1900)
British South Africa Company Medal (1890–7)
Central Africa Medal (1891–8)
India Medal (1895–1902)
Ashanti Star (1895–6)
Queen's Sudan Medal (1896–8)
East and Central Africa Medal (1897–9)
Queen's South Africa Medal (1899–1902)
Queen's Mediterranean Medal (1899–1902)
Transport Medal (1899–1902)
China War Medal (1900)
Ashanti Medal (1900)
pre-First World War
King's South Africa Medal (1902)
Africa General Service Medal (1902–56)
Tibet Medal (1905)
Natal Native Rebellion Medal (1906)
India General Service Medal (1909)
1914 Star
1914–15 Star
British War Medal
Mercantile Marine War Medal
Victory Medal (United Kingdom)
Victory Medal (South Africa)
Territorial War Medal
Naval General Service Medal (1915)
General Service Medal (1918)
India General Service Medal (1936)
1939–1945 Star
Atlantic Star
Arctic Star
Air Crew Europe Star
Africa Star
Pacific Star
Burma Star
Italy Star
France and Germany Star
Defence Medal
War Medal 1939–1945
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
Africa Service Medal
India Service Medal
New Zealand War Service Medal
Australia Service Medal
Southern Rhodesia Service Medal
Korea Medal (1951)
Nuclear Test Medal (1952)
General Service Medal (1962)
Rhodesia Medal (1980)
South Atlantic Medal (1982)
Gulf Medal (1992)
OSM for Sierra Leone (2000)
OSM for Afghanistan (2002)
OSM for Democratic Republic of Congo (2003)
Iraq Medal (2004)
Iraq Reconstruction Service Medal (2004)
Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan) (2011)
Ebola Medal (2015)
General Service Medal (2008) (2015)
OSM for Iraq & Syria (2017)
Humanitarian Medal (2023)
Wider Service Medal (2024)