British India: Earl of Willingdon's Viceroy Presentation Medal 1931-1936 . Silver issue (Siraj Din, Head Mistry, 1936)

Metal: Silver

Dimension: 51mm

Suspension: Silver claw with swivel ring

Obverse: Conjoined busts of Lord and Lady Willingdon, with legend

Reverse: The Coat of Arms of Lord Willingdon, with engraved naming (Siraj Din, Head Mistry, 1936)

The recipient Siraj Din, was an Indian of the Mussalman faith, holding the appointment of 'Head Mistry' (Labourer), when he was decorated with the medal in 1936

Mistry: Mistri, or Mistry, is a term for a master-craftsman, foreman or supervisor of manual workers in India

Note: The early Viceroys medals were generally issued without suspensions - and there was never any approved riband authorised for wear with the medal throughout the history of the entire series. Later issues of the medal were fitted with suspension rings, but again no ribands were issued. The awards were generally awarded after long lengths of service, and or at retirement, amd recipients either serving, or retired could at their discretion fit their awards with ribands, and or mountings as they preferred. Reference 'Orders and Medals Miscellany of Honours 1985', and the article 'Viceroys and the Viceroy's Medals: Part 2, by the late Judge Henry Pownall for details and illustrations of these rare and highly prized awards of the British Raj. In the articles referred to, there appears illustrations of recipients wearing their awards, including 'Bahadur', a Native Headman, who wears a 'Linlithgow' medal on his chest suspended from an unusually long broad riband, with broad light centre and dark borders, while another recipient 'Nazir Ahmed', a Barber, in his livery, is shown wearing a 'Mountbatten of Burma' medal which is 'sans' riband and attached to his embroidered dress 'Kurta' by hooks!

Scarce

Condition: Edge knock at 4 o'clock, & with 'Bazaar Wallah' sIlver test marks to rim o/w VF

Code: 23757