Delhi Durbar Medal (1911)

Delhi Durbar Medal, 1911
Obverse and reverse of 1911 Durbar Medal
Awarded by United Kingdom and British Raj
Type Commemoration medal
Awarded for Participation in Durbar or broader service to the Indian Empire
Statistics
Established 1911
Total awarded 200 gold and 26,800 silver medals

Ribbon bar

Delhi Durbar Medals were instituted to by Great Britain to commemorate each Delhi Durbar where the new Emperor of India was proclaimed, in 1903 for Edward VII, and in 1911 for George V.[1] On both occasions the medals, one and a half inches in diameter, were awarded in both gold and silver and worn on the left chest suspended from a ribbon one and a quarter inches wide.[2]

Delhi Durbar Medal, 1911

Obverse: The conjoined busts of King George V and Queen Mary within a floral wreath of roses.
Reverse: A legend in Persian, which translates as The Durbar of George V, Emperor of India, Master of the British Land.[3]

Two hundred gold medals were struck for award to ruling chiefs and high ranking officials. 30,000 silver medals were struck,[4] with 26,800 awarded to civic dignitaries, government officials, and including 10,000 to officers and men of the British and Indian armies.[5] The medal was distributed, not only to those present at the Durbar, but to others throughout India who contributed to the Raj.[6]

The ribbon was the same as for the medal for King George's Coronation, and while the obverse design is the same, the Durbar Medal is larger, being 1½ inches in diameter, compared with 1¼ inches for the Coronation Medal. Both medals could not be worn together, and those eligible for both wore a clasp bearing the word 'Delhi' on the ribbon of the Coronation Medal.[7]

Durbar clasp for Coronation Medal ribbon

See also

References

  1. ↑ Christopher McCreery (2012). Commemorative Medals of the Queen's Reign in Canada, 1952-2012. Dundurn. pp. 32–. ISBN 978-1-4597-0756-6.
  2. ↑ Howard N Cole. Coronation and Royal Commemorative Medals. pp. 24 and 37. Published J. B. Hayward & Son, London. 1977.
  3. ↑ Yves Arden (1976). Military Medals and Decorations: A Price Guide for Collectors. David and Charles. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-7153-7274-6.
  4. ↑ Howard N Cole. Coronation and Royal Commemorative Medals. p. 25. Published J. B. Hayward & Son, London. 1977.
  5. ↑ John W. Mussell, editor. Medal Yearbook 2015. p. 289. Published Token Publishing Limited, Honiton, Devon. 2015.
  6. ↑ Philip Lecane (15 April 2015). Beneath a Turkish Sky: The Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Assault on Gallipoli. History Press Limited. pp. 54–. ISBN 978-0-7509-6477-7.
  7. ↑ Howard N Cole. Coronation and Royal Commemorative Medals. p. 37. Published J. B. Hayward & Son, London. 1977.
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