Bot at 21:05, 29 December 2020

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{{short description|British East India Company medal, 1843}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2016}}
{{infobox military award
| name = Gwalior Star
| image = [[File:Gwalior Star 1843 Maharajpoor.jpg|151px]][[File:Gwalior Star 1843 Punniar.jpg|151px]]
| caption = Gwalior Star: versions awarded for the battles of Maharajpoor and Punniar.
| presenter = [[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg|35px]] [[East India Company|British East India Company]]
| country =
| type = Campaign medal
| eligibility = Officers and other ranks
| awarded_for = Battles of Maharajpoor and Punniar
| campaign = Gwalior Campaign
| status =
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| motto =
| clasps = None
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| total_awarded_posthumously =
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| image2 = Kabul to Kandahar Star ribbon.png
| image2_size = 100px
| caption2 = Ribbon bar of the award<ref name=Joslin>{{Cite book|author=Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin.|title=British Battles and Medals.|pages=113 and 272 for ribbon chart. Published Spink, London. 1988}}</ref>
}}

The '''Gwalior Star''' is a [[Campaign medal]] presented by the [[East India Company|Honourable East India Company]] to the soldiers of the [[British Army]] and the British led [[Bengal Army]] who took part in the 1843 [[Gwalior Campaign]].

==History==

Rising tensions between the East India Company and the State of [[Gwalior]] led to a British led advance into Gwalior early in December 1843 in a two pronged attack. On December 29, 1843, the British Army defeated [[Maharaja]] Shrimant Jayaji Rao Scindia, and regained control of [[Gwalior]]. The first division of the army, commanded by General [[Sir Hugh Gough]], was victorious at the Battle of Maharajpoor. Major-General Grey, on the same day, with the second division, was victorious at the Battle of Punniar.<ref name=Joslin/>

== Description ==

This medal is a {{convert|50|mm|in}} diameter six pointed star made of bronze, from guns captured during the Gwalior Campaign. In the centre of the star is a silver disk, which bears the Date 29th Dec, 1843 and the name of one of the Gwalior Campaign battles, either Maharajpoor or Punniar. The reverse of the medal is plain and engraved with the name and regiment of the soldier to whom the medal was awarded.<ref name=Joslin/><br>Manufactured at the [[India Government Mint, Kolkata|Calcutta Mint]], this medal was presented by the British India Government originally as a star with a clip on the back to be worn on the breast. Eventually most of these were fitted with a ring or bar of varying design, so that they could be suspended by a ribbon and worn with other medals. The ribbon used was the common ribbon used on many East India Company medals, which was a red-white-yellow-white-blue gradient ribbon such as that found on the [[Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul Medal]].<ref name=Mussell>{{Cite book|author=John W. Mussell, editor.|title=Medal Yearbook 2015.|page=174. Published Token Publishing Limited, Honiton, Devon. 2015}}</ref>

==Lady's Star for Maharajpoor==

[[Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough|Lord Ellenborough]], the Governor-General of India, presented a special gold star to each of four wives of army officers who, due to the speed of events, found themselves present at the Battle of Maharajpoor.<br>While the design of the star broadly follows that of the campaign medal, the obverse centre bears the head of Queen Victoria, with the name and date of the battle on the reverse. The star is suspended from a gold and enamel imitation ribbon and buckle.<ref name=Joslin/> Lady Gough had her portrait painted wearing the Lady's Star.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lady Gough wearing Maharajpoor Star|work=National Army Museum|url=https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?q=searchType%3Dsimple%26resultsDisplay%3Dlist%26themeID%3D13&pos=13&total=242&page=1&acc=1997-08-20-1}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/dept/coins/collection/watson/page411.html Gwalior Campaign Star (Maharajpoor), awarded to Cpt. Lawrence Fyler 1843], The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, date accessed 2011-03-10.
* [http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php?topic=5537.0 Topic: Gwalior Star Medal (Medal # 112, Medal Yearbook)], World of Coins, date accessed 2011-03-10.
* [http://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?q=searchType%3Dsimple%26resultsDisplay%3Dlist%26themeID%3D13&pos=13&total=242&page=1&acc=1997-08-20-1. Lady Gough wearing her Maharajpoor Star] National Army Museum, Online collection.

{{British campaign medals}}
{{Campaign medals of the Honourable East India Company}}
[[Category:British campaign medals]]
[[Category:Medals of the Honourable East India Company]]

Gwalior Star - Revision history

Bot at 21:05, 29 December 2020