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Indian Mutiny Medal
(Full Size, With Lucknow Clasp)
印度叛亂獎章
(官方版, 附勒克瑙銘牌)
Item number: M153
Year: AD 1858
Material: Silver
Size: 36.2 x 90.4 x 3.2 mm
Weight: 40.25 g
Manufactured by: Royal Mint, London
Provenance: Spink 2022
John Bramhall, serving in the 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade, participated in the Second relief of Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny of AD 1857, thereby earning the “Indian Mutiny Medal” along with aclasp engraved with the word “Lucknow.”
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 “JOHN BRAMHALL. 2ND BN. RIFLE BDE.,” 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”. Lucknow alone has three types of clasps (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 clasp “Lucknow” was awarded to all officers and soldiers who, under the command of Colin Campbell, attempted the second relief of the Lucknow garrison from November onwards.
Lucknow was a crucial point on the route to Delhi, and from June onwards, the rebel forces attempted to drive out the British troops stationed in the city. However, they were repelled by the British forces, leading to a stalemate. On September 25, the first batch of reinforcements arrived in Lucknow to support the heavily wounded British troops. Considering the casualties and the difficulty of resupply, the British forces decided to abandon the breakout and chose to stay and wait for the arrival of larger forces. It was not until November 16 that the second batch of reinforcements, under the command of Colin Campbell, successfully relieved the siege. However, Campbell, realising the challenges of defence, decided to evacuate all personnel from Lucknow. The evacuation of the final batch of British troops and civilians was completed on November 27. During this conflict, Lucknow was besieged for a total of 87 days and 61 days in separate instances.
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.