Army of India Medal

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Army of India Medal
Image:AIMObv.pngImage:AIMRev.png

Obverse (top left) and reverse (top right) of the medal. Ribbon: 32mm, pale blue.
Awarded by United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Type Campaign medal
Eligibility British and Honourable East India Company forces.
Awarded for Campaign service.
Campaign India 1803-26.
Description Silver disk, 36mm diameter.
Clasps 21 authorised.
Statistics
Established 21 March 1851
Total awarded 4,500


The Army of India Medal (AIM) was a campaign medal approved in 1851, for issue to officers and men of the British Army and Honourable East India Company.

The AIM approved on 21 March 1851 as a retrospective award by the East India Company to survivors of various actions during the period 1803 to 1826. This period encompassed four wars: the Second Mahratta War (1803-4), the Gurkha War (1814-16), the Pindaree or Third Mahratta War (1817-18), and the First Burmese War (1824-26). Each battle or action covered by the medal was represented by a clasp on the ribbon; twenty-one were sanctioned [1] (although the maximum awarded to one man was seven).[2] The medal was never issued without a clasp.

A point to note is that the medal was only awarded to survivors. There are substantially fewer medals issued when compared with the number of men who served during this period. This was largely due to the extreme lapse of time between the wars commemorated and the issue of the medal - forty-eight years had passed between the first battle commemerated, Allighur, and the date of issue. Some 4500 medals were awarded in total - most with a single clasp.[3]

This medal followed on from the precedent set by the Naval General Service Medal and the Military General Service Medal, as retrospective awards for past campaign service.

[edit] Clasps

  • Allighur
  • Battle of Delhi
  • Assye
  • Asseerghur
  • Laswarree
  • Argaum
  • Gawilghur
  • Defence of Delhi
  • Battle of Deig
  • Capture of Deig
  • Nepaul
  • Khadki
  • Poona
  • Khadki and Poona
  • Seetabuldee
  • Nagpore
  • Seetabuldee and Nagpore
  • Maheidpoor
  • Corygaum
  • Ava
  • Bhurtpoor

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ British Battles and Medals, p96.
  2. ^ One man was awarded a medal with seven clasps, two men qualified for six clasps, ten men qualified for five clasps, twenty-three men qualified for four clasps, and one hundred and forty-nine men qualified for three clasps, British Battles and Medals, p96.
  3. ^ Medal Yearbook 2005, p136

[edit] Bibliography

  • Mackay, J and Mussel, J (eds) - Medals Yearbook - 2005, (2004), Token Publishing.
  • Joslin, Litherland, and Simpkin (eds), British Battles and Medals, (1988), Spink
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