The Ghuznee Medal is a British campaign medal awarded for participation in the storming of the fortress of Ghuznee in Afghanistan, on 21 to 23 July 1839 by troops of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and Indian Armies. This action, the

Battle of Ghazni The Battle of Ghazni (or Ghuznee) took place in the city of Ghazni in central Afghanistan on Tuesday, July 23, 1839, during the First Anglo-Afghan War. Prelude In the 1830s, the British were firmly entrenched in India but by 1837, feared a Rus ...

, took place during the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession d ...

. This was the second medal awarded to all ranks of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

for a specific campaign, the

Waterloo Medal The Waterloo Medal is a military decoration that was conferred upon every officer, non-commissioned officer and soldier of the British Army (including members of the King's German Legion) who took part in one or more of the following battles: Li ...

being the first. It was struck in 1839 on the orders of

Shuja Shah Durrani Shuja ( ar, شجاع‎, ur, شجاع‎, bn, সুজা) is a surname and male given name. Notable people with this name include: * Shuja al-Khwarazmi, was the mother of Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil (r. 847–861) * Ahmad Shuja Pasha (born ...

, the Shah of Afghanistan, to show his appreciation to the British forces who had helped restore him to his throne by storming the fortress. As the Shah died before the medals could be distributed, it was finally bestowed 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 ...

in the name of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

Description

The medal was based on a design by John Luard, a British army officer and artist, and struck at the Calcutta Mint. It is silver and in diameter, with the following design: The obverse depicts the fortress of Ghuznee with the word ‘GHUZNEE’ below.
The reverse has a

mural crown A mural crown ( la, corona muralis) is a crown or headpiece representing city walls, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the Romans a military decoration. Later ...

surrounded by a

laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a round wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen, or later from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cherry laurel (''Prunus laurocerasus''). It is a s ...

and the date ’23d JULY 1839’.
The suspender is straight with a ring passing through a smaller loop soldered to the top of the medal.
The ribbon has two equal stripes of crimson and dark green. Originally the ribbon was to have been half green and half yellow.
The medal was issued unnamed, but many were later privately engraved or impressed in varying styles on the reverse or rim. Two separate dies exist for this medal with one having a wider border around the edge than the other. The second also has a narrower and taller fortress.

Medals of the Anglo-Afghan War

Four separate campaign medals were awarded to British led forces who served in the Afghan War of 1839 to 1842: *Ghuznee Medal. Storming of Ghuznee fortress, 21–23 July 1839. * Jellalabad Medal. Defence of Jalalabad, 12 November 1841–7 April 1842. *

Medal for the Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie The Kelat-I-Ghilzie Medal is a campaign medal issued by the British East India Company, to the defenders of the fort at Kelat-I-Ghilzie during the First Anglo-Afghan War. History After the massacre of General Elphinstone's Army during the 1842 r ...

. Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie, January–26 May 1842. *

Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul Medal The Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul Medal was awarded to those who took part in the campaign in the spring and summer of 1842, under the command of General William Nott, to restore British standing in Afghanistan after earlier defeats during the First ...

. Major operations of 1842, the final year of the war.

References

External links

The Ghuznee Medal on ''Online Medals''
{{Campaign medals of the Honourable East India Company British campaign medals First Anglo-Afghan War History of Ghazni Province 1839 establishments in the United Kingdom Medals of the Honourable East India Company

Description

Medals of the Anglo-Afghan War

See also

References

External links