The Scinde Medal was authorised on 22 September 1843 and issued to soldiers of the

Honourable 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 ...

, the 22nd Regiment of Foot 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 ...

and members of the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

who crewed the Indus Flotilla, who participated in Major General Sir Charles Napier's conquest of

Scinde Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

between 1842 and 1843.

History

Sir Charles Napier was sent to Scinde for the purpose of quelling the

Amirs Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremo ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

, Mir Rustam Khan Talpur,

Mir Nasir Khan Talpur Mir Nasir Khan Talpur was the last Amir of the land that included Sind province, Sindh and parts of present-day Balochistan and was one of the most active administrators after the decline of the Mughal Empire. He made Hyderabad, Sindh, Hyderabad th ...

and

Mir Sher Muhammad Talpur Mir Sher Muhammad Talpur was a Talpur prince who belonged to the Mirpur Khas house of the royal Talpur dynasty. The son of Mir Ali Murad Talpur, the founder of Mirpur Khas, he was born in 1810. After becoming ruler of the Talpur dynasty, his r ...

. They had made various hostile demonstrations against the British government after the termination of 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 Afghanistan, Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking si ...

, conducting frequent raids on British convoys travelling between

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. General Napier's campaign against these Amirs resulted, after the victories of Miani and

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

, in the complete subjugation of the province of Sindh, and its annexation to the

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

Description

The medal, designed by

William Wyon William Wyon (Birmingham 1795 – 29 October 1851), was official chief engraver at the Royal Mint from 1828 until his death. Biography Wyon was born in Birmingham and, in 1809, was apprenticed to his father, Peter Wyon who was an engraver a ...

, was a silver disc wide, with the following design:
''Obverse'': Left facing,

diadem A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty. Overview The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', "I ...

ed bust of Queen

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

facing left with inscription VICTORIA REGINA. ''Reverse'': Three different versions were issued, all containing the name and year of the battle(s) where the recipient was present, surrounded by a laurel wreath and surmounted by a crown: * MEEANEE / 1843. For participation in the

Battle of Miani The Battle of Miani (or Battle of Meeanee, ) was a battle between forces of the Bombay Army of the East India Company, under the command of Charles Napier and the Baluch army of Talpur Amirs of Sindh, led by Mir Nasir Khan Talpur. The battle t ...

(or Meeanee), 17 February 1843. * HYDERABAD / 1843. For participation in the

Battle of Hyderabad The Battle of Hyderabad (), sometimes called as the Battle of Dubbo was one of the major campaigns of the British against then Sindh led by the Talpurs which was fought on 24 March 1843 between the forces of the British East India Company and the ...

, 24 March 1843. * MEEANEE / HYDERABAD / 1843. For participation in both battles. ''Suspender'': Straight Steel Clip and straight bar suspender. The suspenders on the medals issued to the 22nd Foot were replaced with silver ones at the expense of the unit's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Pennefather after they particularly distinguished themselves. ''Ribbon'': rainbow pattern watered red, white, yellow, white and blue. ''Engraving'': Impressed or engraved with recipient's name and regiment around the rim.

References

External links

Medals of the World

Peter Duckers, British Campaign Medals 1815-1914, 2000

Online Medals, Scinde Medal
{{Campaign medals of the Honourable East India Company British campaign medals Medals of the Honourable East India Company

History of Sindh