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UK Crimea Medal (1854-56)


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The Crimea Medal was a campaign medal issued to land and naval forces of the British units who fought in the Crimean War (1854-56). This medal was sanctioned on 15 Dec 1854, and would eventually be awarded to over a quarter of a million British who served during the war. It was first presented by Queen Victoria on 18 May 1855.

 

DESCRIPTION

36mm disc, made of silver. The medal, designed by W. Wyon, represents on the reverse a Roman warrior with a flying figure of Victory crowning him with a laurel wreath; to the right of the figure is the word CRIMEA arranged perpendicularly. The obverse is the same as that on the Peninsular and India General Service medals. The suspender is of a very appropriate character, suggesting a palm wreath issuing from a conventional cusp. The ribbon is of pale blue with yellow edges (pay attention to the Baltic Medal, which has reversed ribbon colours and is very easily confused with the Crimea Medal at a quick glance).

 

The Crimean Medals were originally issued unnamed, although some recipients had their name and regiment engraved privately. Others were officially named later, with the same stamps as were used for the Army General Service and early Kaffir War medals, in square Roman capitals.

 

British Crimean medals issued to the Sardinians are almost always found officially engraved, matching the style and manner that the Sardinian Crimea Medals were engraved.

 

BARS/CLASPS

Five bars in all were issued, but four is the greatest number awarded with any medal. Two bars were authorised at the time of the medal's creation, and three more followed in the next year.

 

  • Alma (Dec 1854)
  • Inkermann (Dec 1854)
  • Balaklava (Feb 1855)
  • Sebastopol (Oct 1855)
  • Azoff (Special bar given to the Navy)

 

The bars should read upward from the medal as follows: Alma, Balaklava, Inkermann, Sebastopol, but a number of the medals were issued without the bars being fixed, and the order is consequently sometimes found to be inaccurate; care should therefore be taken to verify the record of the person named on the medal. Many medals were issued before the grant of the bar for Sebastopol at the end of October 1855, and many exist without this bar, although all who took part in the battles of Balaklava and Inkerman were entitled to it. The troops who landed in the Crimea after September 9th, 1855, the day Sebastopol fell, were not entitled to the medal unless they had been engaged against the enemy after that date.

 

MEDAL

The Crimea Medal in the Royal Collection is a specimen medal, unusually mounted with all five clasps. No one soldier was awarded all five clasps for service.

 

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(Photo courtesy of the Royal Collection)

 

If you have one of these medals to show, a picture of a soldier wearing it, or a story about this medal being awarded/earned . . . please feel free to share it here!

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Too add some period newspaper advertisements of businesses who sold the medals - 

 

Home News for India, China and the Colonies, June 18, 1859

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Illustrated London News February 9, 1856

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Also, here is a mention in an 1855 newspaper that lists the cost of the medals for a year - 

 

Sheffield Daily Telegraph July 31, 1855

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Just ran across some photos of this medal below (now sold, photos courtesy of JB Military Antiques) and thought they might be useful as reference for anyone interested in this type. You don't usually see such detailed pictures, and this was a four-clasp example with the Crimean War soldier's name engraved on the medal. It was awarded to Soldier 3146, Terence McGovern of the 20th Regiment of Foot (Lancashire Fusiliers).

 

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And here's a 4-clasp example awarded to Private Isaac Tanner of the 1st Battalion of the Coldstream Guards who was killed in action at the Battle of Inkerman (05 Nov 1854).

 

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This is listed here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/274662072709?hash=item3ff322a185:g:K~MAAOSwwjVezpkY

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Thought this was worthy of posting, as someone seems to have custom-made a display box for a 4-clasp Crimea Medal, some time ago from the looks of it. This was sold at auction in 2015, but a bit of the description is still available.

 

Provenance: The medal is struck with the number 653 and this number is made reference to in 'Forgotten Heroes: The Charge of the Light Brigade' by Roy Dutton, who lists service number '653' issued to Private William Dimmock of the 17th Lancers who took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade, and records the following:

"A groom prior to his enlistment. During the Charge Dimmock returned to the field and carried away Captain White who was severely wounded. To Scutari 1854 and to England 9th December 1854. Medal presented to him by Queen Victoria on Horse Guards Parade on the 18th May 1855. Appears in photograph with three other Chargers taken at the Brighton Cavalry Depot August 1855. On some records name also shown as Dimock".

 

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