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Indian Mutiny Medal
(Full Size, With delhi Clasp)
印度叛亂獎章
(官方版, 附德里銘牌)
Item number: M155
Year: AD 1858
Material: Silver
Size: 36.3 x 89.2 x 4.0 mm
Weight: 41.1 g
Manufactured by: Royal Mint, London
Provenance: Spink 2022
John. McGinn, serving in the 52nd Light Infantry Regiment, participated in the recapture of Delhi during the Indian Mutiny of AD 1857, thereby earning the “Indian Mutiny Medal” along with aclasp engraved with the word “Delhi.”
In AD 1858, the British government established the Indian Mutiny Medal to reward military personnel who participated in suppressing the mutiny. Subsequently, in AD 1868, the eligibility for the medal expanded to include non-military personnel who experienced the rebellion firsthand, with a total issuance of 290,000 medals. The medal, crafted in silver, features a profile portrait of Queen Victoria wearing a crown on the obverse, with Latin inscriptions on either side indicating “VICTORIA REGINA.” On the reverse side is the symbol of Britannia, representing Britain, holding a shield with the Cross of St. George in her left hand and raising a laurel wreath symbolising victory with her right hand, accompanied by a male lion at her feet. Inscriptions on the reverse include “India” at the top and the mutiny years “1857-1858” below. At the bottom edge of the medal, there is an engraving of “J. MC GINN, 52nd L.I.,” denoting the recipient’s name and unit number. Finally, the medal is suspended from a swivel scroll suspension attached to a ribbon approximately 32mm wide, featuring five equally spaced red and white stripes.
According to the individual service records, the British government designed five distinct clasps for this medal, namely: “Delhi,” “Defence of Lucknow,” “Relief of Lucknow,” “Lucknow,” and “Central India” (see image below).
According to the regulations, a medal can receive a maximum of four clasps, which are placed on the ribbon in chronological order of the battles, from top to bottom. Those without clasps are often non-military personnel who were awarded the medal after its expansion in AD 1868. The “Delhi” clasp was awarded from May 30 onwards to commemorate the various units dispatched to recapture Delhi. The British forces successfully captured Delhi on October 14 and deposed Bahadur Shah II, sending him into exile in Rangoon, Burma, where he remained until his death in AD 1862.
In the earlier stages, the British colonisation of the Indian subcontinent was managed by the private British East India Company. During the conquest of India, the East India Company heavily relied on local soldiers known as “Sepoys” recruited from various regions of India. By the eve of the Indian Mutiny, out of the Company’s 240,000-strong army in the Indian subcontinent, approximately 200,000 were sepoys. Prior to the outbreak of the mutiny in AD 1857, sporadic resistance was met with by the East India Company’s governance. However, by manipulating complex ethnic and religious relations, the Company managed to suppress these sporadic resistances for the most part.
Yet, in March AD 1857, rumours spread among the sepoys that they would be forced to convert to Christianity and that the paper cartridges they were given were greased with pork or beef fat, which deeply offended the Muslim and Hindu soldiers, who formed the majority in the army. Fuelled by these rumours, the rebellion spread in northern India in May of that year and briefly captured Delhi, with the imprisoned Emperor Bahadur Shah II at the Red Fort being declared the leader of the mutiny. However, under the intervention of the British government, deployment of other regular British forces stationed overseas and local princely states not involved in the rebellion were mobilised to quell the rebellion. By AD 1858, the uprising was largely suppressed across various regions. Subsequent assessments of the conflict estimate the number of Indian lives lost to be between 100,000 to 800,000, varying in different accounts.
The mutiny’s most significant impact was the British government revoking the East India Company’s management system and declaring the Indian subcontinent a direct colonial territory under government control. In AD 1876, the British royal family was even bestowed with the title of “Emperor of India.” On the other hand, in the eyes of Indian nationalists, this mutiny was revered as the Great Uprising of the Nation, and the First Independence War. Ultimately, after the end of World War II, India gained independence and established its own nation in AD 1947, bringing an end to nearly two centuries of British rule in the region.