History

The India Medal was sanctioned by Queen Victoria and established by Army Order on April 1, 1896, as a replacement for the India General Service Medal 1854. The Medal was conferred upon Officers and enlisted men of British and Indian armies for service on the North-West frontier between 1895 and 1902. Silver Medals were awarded to soldiers of the British and Indian armies, while Bronze Medals were awarded to native bearers and servers.

Originally only the 2 clasps, “DEFENCE OF CHITRAL 1895” and “RELIEF OF CHITRAL 1895”, where authorized by Army Order. However, an additional 5 clasps were later approved:

1. “PUNJAB FRONTIER 1897-98”
2. “MALAKAND 1897”
3. “SAMANA 1897”
4. “TIRAH 1897-98”
5. “WAZIRISTAN 1901-02”

There are multiple versions of the Bronze Medal which differ by clasp and monarch. There may be additional versions not featured here that differ by campaign clasps. A variety of different naming styles were used.