History

The Burma Medal, 1824-1826 was established by the Honourable East India Company in 1826 in commemoration of the successful Ava Campaign during the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826). The Medal was awarded to all Indian troops of the Honourable East India Company Army who served in the campaign, however, a distinction of rank was made through differences in composition. The Gold Medal was awarded to Officers while the Silver Medal was awarded to other ranks. It is estimated that 24,000 Silver Medals were issued to Bengal and Medras troops.

The obverse and reverse feature Farsi inscriptions that can be translated to “The Elephant of Ava is obedient to the Lion of England 1826,” and “A medal for the victorious British soldiers on Ava,” respectively. The Medal was issued unnamed and was the first medal awarded by the HEIC to be issued with a ribbon.

There may be additional versions that differ by composition.