Gwalior Star

Gwalior Star
ribbon bar of the award
Awarded by British East India Company
Type	Campaign medal
Eligibility	officers and other ranks
Awarded for	Battles of Maharajpoor and Punniar
Campaign	Gwalior Campaign
Clasps	none

The Gwalior Star is a campaign award presented to the soldiers of the British Army, by the Honourable East India Company, who took part in the 1843 Gwalior Campaign.

History

On December 29, 1843, the British Army defeated Maharaja Shrimant Jayaji Rao Scindia, and regained control of Gwalior. The first division of the army, commanded by Sir Hugh Gough, was victorious at the Battle of Maharajpoor. Major-General Grey, on the same day, with the second division, was victorious at the Battle of Punniar.

Description

This medal is a six pointed star made of bronze, from guns captured during the Gwalior Campaign. In the centre of the star is a silver disk, which bears the Date 29th Dec, 1843 and the name of one of the Gwalior Campaign battles, either Maharajpoor or Punniar. The reverse of the medal is plain and engraved with the name of the soldier, to whom the medal was awarded, and the soldier's regiment. Manufactured at the Calcutta Mint, this medal was presented by the British India Government originally as a star with a clip on the back to be worn on the breast. Eventually most of these were fitted with a ring so that they could be suspended by a ribbon and worn along with other medals. The ribbon used was the common ribbon used on many East India Company medals, which was a blue-white-yellow-red gradient ribbon such as that found on the Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul Medal.

References

• Gwalior Campaign Star (Maharajpoor), awarded to Cpt. Lawrence Fyler 1843, The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, date accessed 2011-03-10.
• Campaign Star (Punniar), awarded to Pvt. George Homeshaw, 1844, The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, date accessed 2011-03-10.
• Topic: Gwalior Star Medal (Medal # 112, Medal Yearbook), World of Coins, date accessed 2011-03-10.