Item number: M350-2

Year: AD 1928

Material: Silver

Size: 96.6 x 36.0 x 2.9 mm

Weight: 43.25 g

Provenance: Noonans 2024

This medal was issued under Army Order No. 3 of AD 1923 to recognise service personnel stationed outside the frontiers of India as well as in regions outside East Africa, West Africa, and Central Africa. In addition to the Army and Air Force, local forces, including the police and the Indian military before AD 1947, were also eligible to receive this medal. Its value is comparable to the Naval General Service Medal issued from AD 1915 to AD 1962, and both were ultimately superseded by the General Service Medal of AD 1962.

The medal is circular in shape, featuring a straight bar with ornate vine patterns, which connects to a ribbon. The ribbon is purple on both sides with a green centre. The ribbon features a clasp inscribed with “SOUTHERN DESERT. IRAQ.”

The “Southern Desert. Iraq” clasp was issued in AD 1928 to recognise participation in suppressing the Ikhwan Rebellion between AD 1927 and AD 1930 in the desert regions at the intersection of southern Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. The Ikhwan, originally a Bedouin armed force organised by Ibn Saud, later diverged from him due to differences in religious interpretation and attitudes toward Britain, leading to armed conflict. The British Royal Air Force played a central role in assisting the Saudi royal family in quelling the Ikhwan uprising.

Issued between AD 1918 and AD 1962, the General Service Medal was accompanied by various clasps based on service location and operation, with a total of 18 different clasps:

The obverse of the medal features a left-facing effigy of King George V, with the Latin inscription “GEORGIVS V BRITT: OMN: REX ET IND: IMP:” around the edge, which translates to “George V: King of all the British Isles and Emperor of India” in English. Compared to the General Service Medal of the second type issued between AD 1934 and AD 1936, this effigy is simpler, depicting the king without a crown and royal robes, and the inscribed text differs slightly. The differences are summarised in the following table:

The reverse side of the medal features a winged Victor wearing a Corinthian helmet and holding a trident. The victor is depicted standing, placing a laurel wreath on a sword representing the army and wings symbolising the air force. At the Victor’s feet, the initials “ECRP” are inscribed, denoting the designer Edward Carter Preston.

The edge of the medal is inscribed with the recipient’s service number, rank, name, and unit in sequence: “355591. L.A.C. G.P. STOCKWELL. R.A.F.” (355591 Leading Aircraftman Gerald Patrick Stockwell, Royal Air Force).

In AD 1905, Stockwell was born in London. He joined the British Royal Air Force in AD 1923 and retired in AD 1935, only to re-enlist during World War II. The museum’s collection also includes a miniature version of a medal belonging to Stockwell, with the most notable difference between the two being the presence or absence of edge inscriptions.

物件編號: M350-2

年代: 公元 1928 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 96.6 x 36.0 x 2.9 mm

重量: 43.25 g

來源: 諾南斯 2024

這枚獎章根據公元1923年第三號陸軍令所發行，以表彰在印度邊境以及東非、西非和中非地區以外的服役人員。除了陸軍與空軍外，包括警察在內的地方部隊，以及公元1947年前的印度軍隊也可以獲得該獎章。其價值等同於公元1915年到公元1962年發行的海軍一般服務獎章，最終皆被公元1962年的一般服務獎章取代。

獎章外觀為圓形，以帶有點壯與藤蔓花紋的直桿懸掛銜接綬帶。綬帶配色兩側為紫色中間為綠色。綬帶上掛著「伊拉克南部沙漠」銘牌。

「伊拉克南部沙漠」於公元1928年頒布，頒予參加鎮壓公元1927至1930年間，於伊拉克南部、沙烏地阿拉伯和科威特交界沙漠地帶的「伊赫萬起義」。伊赫萬原為伊本·沙烏地組織的貝都因武裝力量，然而兩者後續在宗教和對待英國的立場產生分歧，進而發生武裝衝突。英國以皇家空軍為主力協助伊本·沙烏地皇室鎮壓伊赫萬的叛亂。

在公元1918年到公元1962年發行的一般服務獎章皆附有銘牌，而且依據不同服役地點與項目製作了18個銘牌，分別為:

獎章正面是喬治五世左側肖像，邊緣鐫刻一圈拉丁銘文「GEORGIVS V BRITT: OMN: REX ET IND: IMP: 」；中文則為「喬治五世：不列顛群島的國王和印度的皇帝」。相較於公元1934年到公元1936年發行的喬治五世第二型的一般服務獎章，肖像樣式更為簡單，沒有配戴皇冠與皇袍，鐫刻的文字也略有不同，將差異處整理為下表：

獎章背面的圖案為戴著科林斯式的頭盔、手持三叉戟擁有雙翅的勝利者，以站立的姿勢為身旁代表陸軍的劍和象徵空軍的翅膀戴上桂冠。在勝利者的腳下，刻有設計師愛德華·卡特·普雷斯頓的名字縮寫「ERCP」。

獎章的側邊，依序鐫刻得獎者的兵籍號碼、軍階、姓名和服役單位「355591. L.A.C. G.P.STOCKWELL. R.A.F.」(355591 二等兵 傑拉爾德·帕特里克·斯托克韋爾 皇家空軍)。

公元1905年，斯托克韋爾出生於倫敦。於公元1923年進入英國皇家空軍服役，並且於公元1935年除役。但在第二次世界大戰期間又再度入伍。本館尚有收藏另一枚屬於斯托克韋爾的迷你版獎章，兩者最明顯的差異為是否在側邊有刻字。