Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Indian Mutiny Medal
(Full Size, With Defence of
Lucknow & Lucknow Clasps)
印度叛亂獎章
(官方版, 附防衛勒克瑙&勒克瑙銘牌)
Item number: M152
Year: AD 1858
Material: Silver
Size: 36.2 x 104.5 x 3.5 mm
Weight: 42.2 g
Manufactured by: Royal Mint, London
Provenance: Dixons Medals 2022
At the age of 18, John Friary served as a private in the 84th Regiment of Foot, participating in the fierce defence battle of Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny of AD 1857. As a result of his service, he was awarded the “Indian Mutiny Medal” with clasps inscribed “Defence of Lucknow” and “Lucknow.” However, the rosette at the bottom left corner of the “Lucknow” clasp has been lost over time.
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 FRIARY, 84TH RF.,” 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”. In Lucknow alone, there are three types of clasps awarded: “Defence of Lucknow” is conferred upon the defending forces during the first siege of the city, while “Lucknow” is bestowed upon those who participated in the second relief of the city (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.
Lucknow was a crucial route to Delhi, and starting from June, rebel forces attempted to drive out the British troops stationed within the city. However, under the command of Henry Lawrence, a veteran of the East India Company, a force composed of 800 British soldiers, 700 Sepoy native soldiers, 150 civilian volunteers, and 1300 elderly, women, and children successfully repelled the rebel attacks. Henry Lawrence himself was hit by artillery fire on July 1st and succumbed to his injuries three days later.
On September 25th, the first batch of reinforcements arrived in Lucknow to assist the heavily battered British forces. However, considering the casualties and the difficulty of resupplying, the British troops decided to abandon the idaea of breaking out and instead opted to hold their position and wait for further support. It wasn’t until November 16th that the second wave of reinforcements, commanded by Colin Campbell, successfully lifted the siege. However, Campbell, understanding the challenges of defending Lucknow, chose to evacuate all personnel from the city, completing the final evacuation of British troops and civilians on November 27th.
Throughout this conflict, Lucknow endured sieges lasting 87 and 61 days, with as many as 67 individuals being awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest military honour.
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.