India General Service Medal (1909)
The Indian General Service Medal was a campaign medal approved on 1 January 1909, for issue to officers and men of the British and Indian armies. From 1919, it was also awarded to officers and men of the Royal Air Force, with the Waziristan 1925 clasp awarded solely to the RAF.
Clasps
The 1909 IGSM was awarded for various minor military campaigns in India from 1908 to 1935. Each campaign was represented by a clasp on the ribbon; 12 were sanctioned.- North West Frontier 1908
- Abor 1911–12
- Afghanistan NWF 1919
- Mahsud 1919–20
- Waziristan 1919–21
- Malabar 1921–22
- Waziristan 1921–24
- Waziristan 1925
- North West Frontier 1930–31
- Burma 1930–32
- Mohmand 1933
- North West Frontier 1935
Description
The medal is in diameter. It was struck at both the Calcutta and London mints, for Indian and British forces respectively. For the first two clasps the medal & clasp was awarded in silver to combatants and in bronze to native bearers and servants. From 1919 onwards all awards were in silver.The obverse shows the reigning monarch facing left with a suitable inscription. There are three versions:
The reverse depicts Jamrud Fort at the Khyber Pass with the word ‘India’ below between a wreath of oak and olive branches.
The ribbon, wide, was green with a broad blue central stripe. From 1920, those mentioned in despatches in a campaign for which the medal was awarded could wear a bronze oakleaf on the medal ribbon.
The name and details of the recipient originally were engraved on the edge of the medal however from 1919 onwards it was impressed.