An Indian Army State Forces Second World War North Africa campaign service medal pair: Sergeant Kan Singh, I.T.C. Jaipur, State Forcesodphur State Forces

- The 1939-45 Star. No clasp: 81 Sgt. Kan Singh, I.T.C. Jaipur , S.F.)
- The Africa Star. No clasp: 81 Sgt. Kan Singh, I.T.C. Jaipur , S.F.)

Both medals with officially impressed naming, as awarded to Indian service personnel whose medals were issued in India post 15 August 1947

The medals each fitted with contemporary lengths of Indian made medal ribands, these individually thread stitched, and as worn / displayed by the recipient

The recipient was No. 81 Sergeant Kan Singh who served with the Infantry Training Centre of the Jaipur State Forces - and extremely scarce found thus

The ITC - a war raised unit (established 1 September 1940) did not deploy overseas as a unit - but individual personnel / instructors may have served attached to Jaipur Army units in theatre

In the instance of an instructor serving on attachment in theatre, he would have been attached to either the Sawai Man Guards, or the 1st Jaipur Infantry, which were the only Jaipur Army units to serve in theatre 'Africa' during the Second World War

Alternatively, the medals were named to a former veteran of one of the above units, who either late war, or post-war was posted on the strength of the Infantry Training Corps, and from which unit the recipient was serving at the time the medal rolls were compiled / submitted

Indian Army naming protocols for officially named Second World War campaign stars is complex and not uniform......

In many instances Second World War era named Indian issues, were named to show the recipients service details and unit at time of the medal rolls were made made - and not the unit served in at time of qualifying for the medals

Reference 'The Maharajas' Paltans A History of the Indian State Forces (1888-1948) (Head & McClenaghan, 2013), the authors state that the Infantry Training Centre was the 'Training Battalion' of the Jaipur State Forces, organized as a Headquarters and two companies throughout the war. In 1941 its strength was 388 x all-ranks, and in 1942 it was 997 x all-ranks. In 1943-44 the unit was restyled as the Infantry Training Centre, to which a Boys Training Unit of two sections was attached in the period 1945-47

The Infantry Training Centre, Jaipur State Forces, was disbanded sometime after 15 August 1947

A most unusual and extremely scarce pair of named campaign stars to the Indian State Forces

Condition: GVF

Code: 25867