MacGregor Medal

The MacGregor Medal (also referred to as the MacGregor Memorial Medal) is awarded for valuable military intelligence through reconnaissance, exploration, survey or other similar activities of national importance. Awardees have included Survey of India personnel, military attaches, consuls, political officers and Indian Army, Navy and Air Force personnel (including British officers before Independence). Post 1947 the medal has only been awarded to military personnel. A few medals have been awarded for escapes from enemy-occupied territory while some medals were awarded for successful operations inside enemy territory. Sometimes the awardee would be conferred the medal years after the journey had been made. Currently the domains incorporated are land, sea and air. Over the years the necessity and opportunities related to exploration have declined and this in turn has been coupled with a decline in recommendations. In this light the eligibility has been expanded to adventure activities mountain and desert expeditions, rafting, world circumnavigation, polar expedition and flights.

History

The medal was instituted in May 1887 to honour the memory of United Service Institution of India founder, Major General Sir Charles MacGregor.Macgregor Medal.
United Service Institution of India.
Archived
on 1 January 2021. The original criteria for award of the medal were enunciated out on 3 July 1888 at Shimla at a meeting in the presence of Commander-in-Chief General Sir FS Roberts and the Viceroy of India. After the partition of British India into India and Pakistan, the award was adopted by India and continues to this day. 122 medals have been awarded: 7 gold medals to officers, 67 standard size silver medals to officers (including 5 VCOs and JCOs), and 48 reduced size silver medals to other ranks/soldiers. One British officer has been awarded the medal twice, A. S. Lancaster, as a major in 1938, and again as a colonel in 1946; and one British Indian, Shahzad Mir, first as Daffadar, in 1897, then again as Risaldar in 1906. For reconnaissance in 1891, Havildar Ramzan Khan, Punjab Frontier Force, was the first Indian to be awarded the medal.

Specifications

There are three versions of the medal. The standard silver medal without any attachments, the reduced gold medal without any attachments and the reduced silver medal with attachments to suspend around neck. The observe side contains an effigy of Major General Sir Charles MacGregor. Inscribed on the upper periphery is "Major General Sir Charles MacGregor KCB CSI CIE". Inscribed on the lower periphery is "In Memoriam 1887". The reserve side contains various figures of army personnel. Details of the awardee are inscribed on the outer rim. The colours of the ribbon are (from left to right) — Red, Green, Red, Green, Black, White, Black, Green, Red, Green, Red. The colours are based on the ' MacGregor tartan'.

Recent winners

File:Sanjay Kumar Indian Navy.jpg, Kumar, 2020: For accomplishments in long distance running
File:Abhilash Tomy receiving Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2012 (cropped).jpg, Tomy, 2013: first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe under sail.
File:Capt Dilip Donde 2 (cropped).jpg, Donde, 2010: first Indian to complete a solo, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe under sail
File:Pilots of Round The World Expedition Wg Cdr R Monga (Rt) and Wg Cdr Anil Kumar alongwith their Aircraft prior to flag off at Air Force Station, Hindon, U.P. on June 01, 2007.jpg, Monga & Kumar, 2007: world trip in a microlight aircraft

Pre-1947 recipients

Key

* No. – Award number
* Rank – Rank at the time of the award
* Year – Year in which the exploration for which the award was given took place

''Only recipients with articles have been listed''

Post-1947 recipients

Awards were accompanied with entries in the Register for MacGregor Medal. The entry for Captain S.L. Tugnait, awarded for 1958, reads:

See also

* Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath
* Major General Rajendra Nath

References

Bibliography

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USI Journals

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External links

United Service Institution of India, Official website


{{Awards and decorations of the Indian Armed Forces

Military awards and decorations of India
Indian awards
Reconnaissance