BRITISH INDIA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL TO AUBURY WEST KENT REGT

Description

SOLD

Offered is a India General Service Medal, 1895-1902, as awarded to 3223 Private A Aubury, who served with the 1st Battalion of the Royal West Kent Regiment.

35mm wide circular silver medal with ornate scrolled swivel ribbon suspension bar with ‘PUNJAB FRONTIER 1897-98’ clasp; the face with the crowned veiled head of Queen Victoria facing left, circumscribed ‘VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX’ (Victoria Queen and Empress) and signed ‘T.B.’ (for the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock KCB, RA, 1847-1922 whose most famous works include the statue of Prince Albert for the Albert Memorial at Kensington and the Imperial Memorial to Queen Victoria in front of Buckingham Palace); the reverse with the full-length figures of British and Indian soldiers holding a standard, circumscribed ‘INDIA’ to the left and ‘1895’ to the right; attributed on the edge to 3223 Pte A Aubury 1st Bn Ryl W. Kent Regt.

The Medal was instituted in 1896 and replaced the existing India General Service Medal which had been in use since1854. Like its predecessor, it was awarded for minor actions where no specific campaign medal was created. The ‘Punjab Frontier 1897-98’ clasp was awarded for action in that area between 10 June 1897 and 6 April 1898.

Comes with a copy of the medal rolls showing entitlement to the medal & campaign bar. Private Aubury was also entitled to the Queen’s & King’s South Africa medals, meaning these must be in a collection somewhere. Would be great to reunite them.