Date Instituted: 1839.

Campaign: Ghuznee 1839.

Description: This medal was struck on orders of the Shah of Afghanistan in 1839 to show his appreciation to the British forces who restored him to his throne.  The obverse depicts the fortress of Ghunzee with the word ‘GHUNZEE’ below while the reverse has a mural crown surrounded by a laurel wreath with the date ’23 JULY 1839’.  The suspender is straight with a ring passing through a smaller loop sweated to the top of the medal.

Metal: Silver.

Size: 37mm.

Clasps: None authorised for this medal.

Ribbon: 35mm wide with two equal stripes of crimson and dark green.

Naming: Issued un-named but many were privatel engraved in varying styles.

Comments: This is the second medal awarded by Britain for a particular campaign. Two separate dies exist for this medal with one having a wider border around the edge than the other. The second has a narrower and taller fortress.

Further Reading:

• Beyond the Khyber Pass : The Road to Disaster
• To Herat and Cabul : A Story of the First Afghan War