570 WAR MEDALS IN THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
time sepoys. The Burma medal is of the ordinary medal size, and on 
the obverse is the white elephant “ Kowtowing,” or more correctly 
“ Shikowing ” to the British lion. The reverse has a magnificent scene 
of an army occupying the surroundings of the Shwe da gone Pagoda. 
The Seringapatam medal was given by the company to Kings 
troops also, but I cannot find that this was done in the case of the 
others. This medal has a very fine die, though the Institution speci¬ 
men is much rubbed. The obverse represents the British Lion sending 
the Tiger of Mysore flying, with a blow from the shoulder, while the 
reverse shows thousands of troops pressing with their ladders to the 
storming of the fortress. In a new specimen every detail is most 
clear, and the engraving of the die a marvellous piece of work. The 
Company’s medals were mostly worn with a yellow ribbon, but later 
orders directed the “ Military War Ribbon ” as for Waterloo, the Pen¬ 
insula, etc. to be worn with the Seringapatam medal. I was very for¬ 
tunate myself in picking up lately a “ cased ” specimen of this medal, 
with an original bit of yellow ribbon attached, the medal being mint 
new. 
The Egypt medal is of interest for it is often forgotten in talking 
of Indian contingents to Egypt and South Africa m our days, that in 
1801 a very smart force of British and Bombay Native regiments 
landed in Egypt, and marched from a point on the Red Sea to Cairo. 
The expedition was under the command of Sir David Baird. The 
H.E.I. Company bestowed its medals on its natives promptly, but 
their British officers and the King’s Troops in Egypt did not receive 
their medals till 184.8 , when they received “ the war medal ” with 
clasp for “ Egypt 1801.” Truly times are changed, and Egypt is more 
fruitful now than then It is also interesting to remember that this 
Indian contingent went to fight the French, and that then we had no 
qualms about pitting black troops against white when occasion 
demanded. 
Next to these in chronological order, we have medals for wars with 
the French. These consist of the “ Military War Medal ” often er¬ 
roneously called the “ Peninsula ” medal, given for various campaigns 
and expeditions the world through, during the wars with the French 
from the Revolution up to 1814, a period of 25 years. This medal 
has only 28 clasps all told, and was not awarded till 1848 , the 
clasp for “ Egypt 1801 ” already referred to being one. The Duke 
of Wellington had set his face it is said against war medals, as tend¬ 
ing to demoralize the high spirit and traditions of the service, and it 
was only after a long fight by the military members of Parliament, 
after the award of medals for the Afghan campaigns of 1838-42, the 
Gwalior campaign of 1 843 and the Scinde and Sutlej campaigns that 
this medal was granted fifty years overdue in some cases. 
The Institution has two specimens of this medal, one that of Gunner 
Hollands, recently purchased with thirteen clasps, an almost unique 
number, and one with three clasps. Gunner Rollands clasps are: 
Nive, Nivelle, St. Sebastian, Pyrenees, Vittoria, Salamanca, Badajoz, 
Ciudad Rodrigo, Fuentes D’Onor, Busaco, Talavera, Vimiera, and 
Roleia. 
