__NOTOC__ The Capture of Ceylon Medal is a campaign medal that was awarded by the

Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

to soldiers in Bengal artillery units of the armies of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

(EIC) who took part in the capture of Ceylon in 1795–96.

Criteria

The medal was instituted on 15 May 1807 by an

Order in Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' Ki ...

Fort William, India Fort William is a fort in Hastings, Calcutta (Kolkata). It was built during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It sits on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River, the major distributary of the River Ganges. One of Kolkat ...

. It was awarded to surviving members of the

Bengal Army The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Govern ...

artillery who served under the command of the

during the

British invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on b ...

Dutch Ceylon Dutch Ceylon ( Sinhala: Tamil: ) was a governorate established in present-day Sri Lanka by the Dutch East India Company. Although the Dutch managed to capture most of the coastal areas in Sri Lanka, they were never able to control the Kandyan ...

, over the period 21 July 1795 – 16 February 1796, during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

. The medals were finally completed and distributed in 1811. Two medals were cast in gold for award to officers, probably

Captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Barton and Clarke but possibly to two native officers, with 121 being cast in silver for native Indian non-commissioned officers and men (known as ''Gun Lascars'') of the

Bengal Artillery The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Govern ...

. Other participants of the invasion, including other

troops and British Crown forces, did not receive a medal.

Description

The medal was struck at the

Calcutta Mint The India Government Mint, Kolkata was first established in 1757, and was located in a building next to the Black Hole in the old fort – where the GPO (General Post Office) stands today. It was called the Calcutta Mint and used to produce co ...

in gold and in silver. Both types were in diameter. They were of a plain design, with both sides of the medal having only an inscription:
The obverse has the English wording: ''For Services on the Island of Ceylon A.D. 1795/6.''
The reverse has a

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

inscription that translates as: ''This medal was given by way of acknowledgment of services in Ceylon in the year of the Hijrah 1209-1210''.
The medal was issued unnamed.
The original suspension was a flattened loop, riveted at the base, and was intended to be worn round the neck with a yellow cord;Collett, D.W, ''Medals Yearbook'', (1981). Page 45. the EIC would not award medals with ribbons proper until 1826 with the award of the Burma Medal.

References

External links

British Army Medals: Capture of Ceylon MedalFitzwilliam Museum: Capture of Ceylon Medal
{{Campaign medals of the Honourable East India Company Awards established in 1807 Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom British campaign medals Medals of the Honourable East India Company British military medals of the Napoleonic Wars Dutch Ceylon

Criteria

Description

See also

References

External links