Item number: M158

Year: AD 1905-1919

Material: Silver

Size: Tibet 17.8 x 47.2 x 1.7 mm

Weight: 32.9 g

Provenance: J. Collins Medals 2024

This is a set of miniature medals awarded to British veteran who participated in both the Tibet Expedition of AD 1903-1904 and the First World War. The set consists of five medals in total, with the leftmost one being the “Tibet Medal” issued on February 1st, AD 1905, to honour those who took part in the Tibet Expedition. Participants in the nearly one hundred days-long Gyantse Battle were additionally entitled to receive a clasp inscribed with the word “Gyantse.”

The miniature Tibet Medal is of the same design as the official version. On the obverse side, it features a profile portrait of King Edward VII in the uniform of a Field Marshal, sculpted by G.W. de Saulles, with the Latin inscription “Edward VII Emperor of India” around the edge. The reverse side, sculpted by Ernest Gillick, depicts the representative architecture of Tibet, namely the Potala Palace where the Dalai Lama resides, with the inscription “TIBET”, and the expedition year “1903-04” below. The suspension is a replica of the swivel scroll suspension with claw found on the official version. The ribbon is centred in burgundy, with white and green colours symmetricly arranged on either side.

The four medals on the right are all related to the First World War. From left to right, they are: the 1914 Star, the Victory Medal of the First World War, the War Medal, and the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal from the era of King George V. Upon observation, these medals feature three common types of suspensions: ring suspension, swivel scroll suspension, and swivel straight bar suspension.

The history behind the five mentioned medals reveals a diplomatic shift for the British Empire as it entered the 20th century. The motivation for the AD 1903 British expedition to Tibet was part of the “Great Game” diplomatic policy inherited from the late 19th century, where Britain feared Russian expansion from Central Asia as a threat to its colonial interests in India. However, with the rise of Germany posing threats to both Britain and Russia’s influence in Europe or other regions, a shift occurred. In AD 1907, Britain and Russia signed the Anglo-Russian Convention, delineating their spheres of influence in Asia. This transformed them from rivals into partners, jointly working to counter the rise of Germany, which became a contributing factor to the outbreak of the First World War.

物件編號: M158

年代: 公元 1905-1919 年

材質: 白銀

尺寸: 西藏 17.8 x 47.2 x 1.7 mm

重量: 32.9 g

來源: 克林獎章 2024

這是參加過公元1903至1904之際的西藏遠征行動，和第一次世界大戰的英國老兵迷你版獎章組。這組獎章總計有五枚，最左邊是公元1905年2月1日頒布的「西藏獎章」，茲在獎勵參與西藏遠征行動的官兵。參與戰況持續近一百天的江孜戰役參與者，得以額外獲得一條刻有「江孜」字樣的銘牌。

該枚迷你西藏獎章形制和官方版相同，正面是喬治·威廉·德·索雷斯雕刻的英王愛德華七世著陸軍元帥服側身像，周圍則刻上「愛德華七世 印度皇帝」拉丁字銘文。獎章背面是歐內斯特·吉利克雕刻的西藏代表建築，即達賴喇嘛居住的拉薩布達拉宮，下方刻有西藏之地名和遠征年份「1903-04」字樣。懸掛則是仿造官方版的帶爪螺旋式懸掛。綬帶以酒紅色為中心，兩側為依序向外對稱的白色和綠色。

右邊的四枚獎章全部跟第一次世界大戰有關，從左至右，分別是：1914之星、第一次世界大戰勝利獎章、一戰獎章和喬治五世時期的陸軍長期服務和良好行為獎章。觀察這幾枚獎章能找到三種常見的懸掛型制，分別是：環式、帶爪螺旋式懸掛和帶爪直桿旋式懸掛。

爬梳上述五枚獎章的歷史，能夠看到大英帝國進入公元20世紀之際的外交轉變。促成公元1903年英國遠征西藏的動機，是沿襲自公元19世紀末起，英國畏懼以中亞為跳板的俄國會威脅其印度殖民地的「大博弈」外交方針一環。但是隨著德國的崛起，同時威脅到英國和俄國在歐洲或其他地區的影響力。英俄兩國在公元1907年簽訂《英俄條約》確定彼此在亞洲的勢力範圍後，從競爭對手轉變為合作夥伴攜手阻擋德國崛起，成為促使第一次世界大戰爆發的遠因。