Orders, Decorations and Medals

Six: 1st Class Hospital Assistant Ajaib Singh, Indian Medical Department, the recipient of a rare Central Africa Medal 1894-98 with ring suspension and clasp

India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Burma 1887-89 (618 Hospl. Asstt., I.M.D.); Central Africa 1891-98, ring suspension, 1 clasp, Central Africa 1894-98 (618 Hospl. Asst., Sub. Medl. Dept.), naming officially engraved in running script, clasp linked to medal suspension ring by means of an eyelet on clasp suspension rod; India General Service 1895-1902, 2 clasps, Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Tirah 1897-98 (610 (sic) 1st Cl. Hospl. Asstt., I.M.D.); Army L.S. & G.C., E.VII.R. (618 1st Cl. Hospl. Asstt., I.S.M.D.); Delhi Durbar 1911, silver, unnamed; Prince and Princess of Wales Visit to India 1905-06, 51mm., silver, unnamed, some with heavy edge bruising, contact marks, nearly very fine and better, rare (6) £1400-1600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to the Medical Services formed by Colonel D.G.B. Riddick.

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Collection

The Central Africa Medal was originally issued in 1895, as a medal with a ring suspension, for two totally unrelated campaigns - in British East Africa (Uganda) and in British Central Africa (Nyasaland) during 1891-94. Those already in possession of the medal with ring suspension who qualified for the second period of service in British Central Africa during 1894-98 were required to exchange this medal and were issued with a new medal with straight bar suspension and the clasp ‘Central Africa 1894-98’. The same medal with clasp was also awarded to anyone who had only qualified for the second period of operations against the slavers between ‘1894-98’. Thus it can be seen that the same medal with straight bar suspension and clasp could be worn by a man serving in both the first and second periods of service or in the second period only. It is only by reference to the medal roll that a distinction can be made.

Ajaib Singh is confirmed on the roll as a 2nd Grade Hospital Assistant at Mlanje, October 1893 and Chirodzulu, December 1893, and as a 1st Grade Hospital Assistant for Matapwiri, September 1895. Sold with copied extracts from rolls. For the service in 1895 the roll reads ‘clasp only’.

It would seem that Ajaib Singh, although entitled to the clasp for the second period of service, never exchanged his original medal, hence the medals’ highly unusual appearance in having the clasp for 1894-98 secured to the ring suspender. The fact that the ring suspender medal survives within a group, without the second issue medal with straight bar suspension and clasp, lends credence that the second medal is unlikely to have been issued.

For further information see the article by R. A. Hill, M.B.E. in the Journal of the Orders and Medals Research Society, Autumn 1997.