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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Infobox military award<br />
|name= Burma Medal<br />
|image= [[File:Burma Medal, 1824-26.jpg|127px]][[File:Burma Medal,1824.jpg|126px]]<br />
|caption= Obverse and reverse of the medal,<br>depicted on [[cigarette card]]s<br />
|presenter=[[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg|30px]] the<br>Honourable [[East India Company]] (HEIC)<br />
|type= [[Campaign medal]]<br />
|eligibility= HEIC forces<br />
|awarded_for= Campaign service<br />
|campaign= [[First Anglo-Burmese War|First Burma War]]<br />
|status= <br />
|description=<br />
|clasps= None<br />
|established= 1826<br />
|total_awarded=750 gold and 24,000 silver medals<br />
|image2= [[File:Ribbon bar, Waterloo Medal.png||100px|center]]Ribbon: crimson with dark blue edges<br />
|caption2=<br />
}}<br />
The '''Burma Medal''' is a [[campaign medal]] awarded by the [[Governor-General of India]] to native Indian soldiers of the [[Presidency armies|armies of the Honourable East India Company]] (HEIC) who participated in the [[First Anglo-Burmese War|First Burma War]] from April 1824 to February 1826.<ref name=Steward>{{cite book|last1=Steward|first1=William Augustus|title=War Medals and Their History|date=1915|publisher=Stanley Paul & Co.|page=[https://archive.org/details/warmedalstheirhi00stewrich/page/91 91]-92|url=https://archive.org/details/warmedalstheirhi00stewrich|accessdate=9 April 2019}}</ref><br />
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==Criteria==<br />
The War was fought between the British HEIC and the [[Konbaung Dynasty|Kingdom of Burma]], primarily over Burmese incursions into north east India. The war ended in February 1826 with the [[Treaty of Yandabo]], in which Burma ceded territory to the HEIC, paid a large indemnity and agreed to sign a commercial treaty.<ref>{{cite book|title=A History of Burma|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofburma00htin|url-access=registration|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofburma00htin/page/212 212], 214–215|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1967|author=[[Htin Aung|Maung Htin Aung]]}}</ref><br />
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The medal was authorised by [[William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst|Lord Amherst]], the [[Governor-General of India]], in April 1826.<ref name=Mayo210>{{cite book|last1=Mayo|first1=John Horsley|title= Medals and Decorations of the British Army and Navy, Volume 1|date=1897|publisher= A. Constable & Co|page=[https://archive.org/details/medalsdecoration01mayouoft/page/210 210]-217|url=https://archive.org/details/medalsdecoration01mayouoft|accessdate=9 April 2019}}</ref> It was awarded to HEIC forces only, to native Indian officers and officials in gold (about 750 awarded) and to native other ranks in silver (about 24,000 awarded).<ref name=Joslin/><ref>Note: [https://archive.org/details/medalsdecoration01mayouoft/page/211 Mayo page 211] states: 758 gold and 33,133 silver medals awarded to the Bengal and Madras presidencies, of which 197 and 9,022 unclaimed from Madras. 10 and 100 respectively were retained for future claims, the rest returned to the mint as bullion. This indicates 571 gold and 24,211 silver medals issued or retained.</ref> The only European to receive the medal, in gold, was General [[Sir Archibald Campbell, 1st Baronet|Sir Archibald Campbell]] who commanded the British and Indian forces during the campaign.<ref name=Steward/> The medal was limited to those involved in the actual fighting, it also being awarded posthumously – to the heirs of those who had died.<ref name=Mayo210/><br />
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Europeans who took part, including officers in HEIC service and members of the [[British Army]] and [[Royal Navy]], were not eligible for the medal. However, surviving British officers, soldiers and sailors qualified for the [[Army of India Medal]] with clasp ''Ava'', when this medal was established in 1851.<ref name=Mussell/> As they had already received the Burma Medal, native Indians did not receive the Army of India Medal for the campaign.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/medalsdecoration02mayouoft|last=Mayo|first=John Horsley|title=Medals and Decorations of the British Army and Navy, Volume II|year=1897|publisher=A. Constable & Co|page=[https://archive.org/details/medalsdecoration02mayouoft/page/337 337]|accessdate=9 April 2019}}</ref> <br />
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==Description==<br />
The medal was struck at the [[India Government Mint, Kolkata|Calcutta Mint]] in gold and in silver. Both types were {{convert|1.5|in|mm}} in diameter<ref name=Mussell>{{Cite book|author=John Mussell (ed).|title=Medal Yearbook 2015.|page=121. Token Publishing Ltd. Honiton, Devon}}</ref> with the following design:<ref name=Joslin>{{Cite book|author=Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin.|title=British Battles and Medals.|page=101. Published Spink, London. 1988}}</ref><ref>[http://www.medals.org.uk/united-kingdom/united-kingdom245.htm Medals of the World: UK: HEIC's Medal for Burma, 1824-26]</ref><br><br />
The obverse, designed by [[William Daniell]] {{Post-nominals|post-noms=[[Royal Academy|RA]]}},<ref name=Steward/> depicts the elephant of Burma crouching in submission to the victorious British lion, while behind the Burmese standard is lowered before the [[Union Flag]], there being palm trees behind. In the exergue is the [[Persian language|Persian]] inscription ''The Elephant of [[Kingdom of Ava|Ava]] is obedient to the Lion of England, year 1826''.<br>The reverse, designed by [[William Wyon]],<ref name=Steward/> depicts the storming of the [[Shwedagon Pagoda]] in [[Rangoon]]. To the left is the [[Irrawaddy River|Irrawaddy]] Flotilla, with the British commander [[Sir Archibald Campbell, 1st Baronet|General Campbell]] directing the attack from under a palm tree. In the exergue is the [[Persian language|Persian]] inscription ''A medal for the victorious British soldiers of Ava''.<br>No clasps were authorised and the medal was issued unnamed.<ref>Collett, D.W, ''Medals Yearbook'', (1981) Published by Medal Year Book.</ref><br>The suspension was either a ring attached to the medal by way of a steel clip, or by a straight bar attached to a steel claw.<ref name=Joslin/><br />
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The medal was worn on the left chest, suspended from a {{convert|1.5|in|mm}} wide ribbon of crimson with dark blue edges. This was the British 'military ribbon' previously used for the [[Army Gold Medal]] and Cross, the [[Waterloo Medal]] and later the [[Military General Service Medal]].<ref name=Duckers>{{cite book|last1=Duckers|first1=Peter|title=British Military Medals: A Guide for the Collector and Family Historian|date=2013|publisher=Pen & Sword Books|isbn=978-1-47383-099-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QTQRBQAAQBAJ&q=Burma%2C+1824|accessdate=9 April 2019}}</ref> The Burma Medal was the first HEIC campaign medal to be issued with a distinct ribbon, earlier medals having been worn around the neck, most by a cord.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mayo|first1=John Horsley|title= Medals and Decorations of the British Army and Navy, Volume 1|date=1897|publisher= A. Constable & Co|page=lxviii|url=https://archive.org/details/medalsdecoration01mayouoft/page/lxviii|accessdate=9 April 2019}}</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
{{Campaign medals of the Honourable East India Company}}<br />
[[Category:British campaign medals]]<br />
[[Category:Medals of the Honourable East India Company]]<br />
[[Category:Awards established in 1826]]<br />
[[Category:First Anglo-Burmese War]]</div>Bot