Item number: M23

Year: AD 1939-1947

Material: Gold and Enamel

Size: 97.0 x 40.0 mm

Weight: 39.4 g

Provenance: Liverpool Medals 2022

This specific medal being discussed belongs to type 2 of the first class, discernible by its insignia and ribbon, which had a crimson background with two thin lines of light blue at the center. This order features a suspended crown at the upper points and a blue enameled center with a gold lion surrounded by the words ‘ORDER OF BRITISH INDIA,’ enclosed in a laurel wreath.

Established in AD 1837, the Order of British India, stood as a distinguished recognition bestowed by the British East India Company for prolonged and faithful service. Following the culmination of the Sepoy Mutiny in AD 1857-1858, the East India Company and the Presidency Armies in British India were placed under the administrative authority of the British Empire in India. Consequently, the Order of British India was integrated into the British honours system in AD 1859. Nevertheless, the order ceased to be used after the partition of India and India’s independence in AD 1947.

The Order of British India was typically granted in acknowledgment of exceptional service during a specific campaign, while officers serving between 20 to 30 years were also eligible for its recognition.

The majority of British medals and clasps were crafted from solid silver, although bronze versions were issued, primarily to Indian non-combatants. British campaign awards were predominantly circular, approximately 36mm in diameter. These medals were worn suspended from specific ribbons, initially made of silk but increasingly replaced with cotton during the nineteenth century. The colors of these ribbons often carried symbolic significance; for instance, the “1939 to 1945 Star” had equal stripes of dark blue representing the Royal and Merchant Navies, red symbolizing the Armies, and light blue denoting the Air Forces.

The Order of British India medal was typically classified into two categories: first class and second class. Recipients of the first-class Medal were entitled to use the title Sardar Bahadur (heroic leader), while second-class recipients were permitted to adopt the title Bahadur (hero). Both classes of recipients utilized the post-nominal letters OBI.

SPINK-LONDON variants also exist, they are un-official and were not awarded by the Military Authorities of the Government of British India. Post ‘Independence’ and the subsequent creation of the separate states of India and Pakistan – the military in Pakistan ordered Spink to make approximately 50 pieces of OBI (all of which are easily identified because they have customised suspensions and the backs of the badges are all marked with SPINK-LONDON logo). The reason why the Pakistan Army wanted them, was to reward some former Viceroy’s Commissioned Officers who were entitled to the awards of the OBI in the period of Independence, but did not receive their awards prior to Independence. Considering the complete break-down of relations between Pakistan & India in 1947 – and after – the Pakistan Military had no option but to place ‘private’ orders for a small stock of OBI’s.

物件編號: M23

年代: 公元 1939-1947 年

材質: 黃金, 琺瑯

尺寸: 97.0 x 40.0 mm

重量: 39.4 g

來源: 利物浦獎章 2022

這枚屬於第二版一等勳章，勳章上方懸掛皇冠，中央是淺藍色琺瑯，有一隻金色獅子，四周環繞著“ORDER OF BRITISH INDIA”字樣，底部為淺藍色琺琅，被一個月桂花環圍繞著。

成立於公元1837年的英屬印度勳章，是由英國東印度公司授予長期忠誠服務者的勳章。在公元1857至公元1858年的印度兵變結束後，英國東印度公司和印度的總督軍隊歸屬於在印度的大英帝國統治者。因此，英屬印度勳章於公元1859年成為英國勳章系統的一部分。然而，在公元1947年印度分治及獨立後，這項勳章不再使用。英屬印度勳章通常是在特定戰役中表現優異的服務中授予，同時在服役20至30年的軍官也有資格獲得此勳章。

大多數英國勳章和帶扣是用實心銀製成的，雖然也有青銅版本，主要發給印度非戰鬥人員。英國的戰役獎章通常是圓形，直徑約36mm。這些勳章掛在特定緞帶上，最初是由絲綢製成的，但隨著19世紀的發展，棉布的使用逐漸增多。

英屬印度勳章通常分為兩個類別：一等和二等。一等勳章的獲得者有資格使用「Sardar Bahadur（英勇領袖）」的頭銜，而二等勳章的獲得者則有資格使用「Bahadur（英勇者）」的稱號。兩個等級的獲得者都使用OBI作為事後稱號。

另有存世 SPINK-LONDON 版本，它們是非官方的，並且不是由英屬印度政府軍事當局授予的。

「獨立」後以及隨著印度和巴基斯坦獨立國家的建立 – 巴基斯坦軍方請 Spink 為它們製作大約 50件 英屬印度勳章OBI (所有這種版本都很容易辨識，因為它們都有客製化的懸掛，並且徽章的背面都有 SPINK-LONDON標誌)。巴基斯坦軍方之所以要他們，是為了獎勵一些在獨立時期有權獲得英屬印度勳章獎勵，但在獨立之前沒有獲得獎勵的前總督軍官。考慮到公元1947 年及之後巴基斯坦和印度之間的關係徹底破裂，巴基斯坦軍方別無選擇，只能自己訂購少量的英屬印度勳章OBI來授予。