The Sutlej Medal was a

campaign medal A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a h ...

approved in 1846, for issue to officers and men of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

and

Honourable East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

who served in the Sutlej campaign of 1845–46 (also known as the

First Anglo-Sikh War The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 in and around the Ferozepur district of Punjab. It resulted in defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession o ...

). This medal was the first to use clasps to denote soldiers who fought in the major battles of the campaign. The medal was approved on 17 April 1846.

Description

* A circular silver medal, in diameter, designed by William Wyon. * Obverse: The diademed head of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

with the legend VICTORIA REGINA. * Reverse: A standing figure of victory, facing left and holding a wreath in her outstretched hand, with a collection of trophies at her feet. Around the circumference is the legend ARMY OF THE SUTLEJ, with the name and year of the first battle in which the recipient served below. * The recipient's name and unit are impressed on the rim of the medal in capital letters or roman skeleton lettering. * Ribbon: The wide ribbon is dark blue with crimson edges.

Clasps

The Sutlej Medal commemorates four battles. The first in which the recipient participated is shown on the reverse of the medal, with any further battles indicated by a clasp. As there was no battle prior to the battle of Moodkee no clasp was produced for this action.
The three clasps awarded were for the battles of: * Ferozeshuhur * Aliwal * Sobraon

References

Bibliography

* Mackay, J and Mussel, J (eds) - ''Medals Yearbook - 2005'', (2004), Token Publishing. * Joslin, Litherland, and Simpkin (eds), ''British Battles and Medals'', (1988), Spink {{Campaign medals of the Honourable East India Company British campaign medals Medals of the Honourable East India Company Anglo-Sikh wars