MacGregor Medal
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The MacGregor Medal (also referred to as the MacGregor Memorial Medal) is awarded for valuable military intelligence through reconnaissance, exploration, survey or other similar activities of national importance.Template:SfnpTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp Awardees have included Survey of India personnel, military attaches, consuls, political officers and Indian Army, Navy and Air Force personnel (including British officers before Independence).Template:Sfnp Post 1947 the medal has only been awarded to military personnel. A few medals have been awarded for escapes from enemy-occupied territory while some medals were awarded for successful operations inside enemy territory.Template:Sfnp Sometimes the awardee would be conferred the medal years after the journey had been made.Template:Sfnp Currently the domains incorporated are land, sea and air. Over the years the necessity and opportunities related to exploration have declined and this in turn has been coupled with a decline in recommendations. In this light the eligibility has been expanded to adventure activities mountain and desert expeditions, rafting, world circumnavigation, polar expedition and flights.Template:SfnpTemplate:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp
History
The medal was instituted in May 1887 to honour the memory of United Service Institution of India founder, Major General Sir Charles MacGregor.[1][2] The original criteria for award of the medal were enunciated out on 3 July 1888 at Shimla at a meeting in the presence of Commander-in-Chief General Sir FS Roberts and the Viceroy of India.[1] After the partition of British India into India and Pakistan, the award was adopted by India and continues to this day. 122 medals have been awarded: 7 gold medals to officers, 67 standard size silver medals to officers (including 5 VCOs and JCOs), and 48 reduced size silver medals to other ranks/soldiers.[1][2] One British officer has been awarded the medal twice, A. S. Lancaster, as a major in 1938, and again as a colonel in 1946;[2] and one British Indian, Shahzad Mir, first as Daffadar, in 1897, then again as Risaldar in 1906.Template:Sfn For reconnaissance in 1891, Havildar Ramzan Khan, Punjab Frontier Force, was the first Indian to be awarded the medal.
Specifications
There are three versions of the medal. The standard silver medal Template:Convert without any attachments, the reduced gold medal Template:Convert without any attachments and the reduced silver medal Template:Convert with attachments to suspend around neck. The obverse side contains an effigy of Major General Sir Charles MacGregor. Inscribed on the upper periphery is "Major General Sir Charles MacGregor KCB CSI CIE". Inscribed on the lower periphery is "In Memoriam 1887". The reserve side contains various figures of army personnel. Details of the awardee are inscribed on the outer rim.Template:Sfnp The colours of the ribbon are (from left to right) — Red, Green, Red, Green, Black, White, Black, Green, Red, Green, Red. The colours are based on the 'MacGregor tartan'.Template:Sfnp
Recent winners
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Template:Flagicon image Ram Ratan Jat, 2024: For the extreme adventure in long distance running[3]
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Template:Flagicon image Rahul Kumar Pandey, 2023: For the extreme adventure in long distance running[4]
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Template:Flagicon image Kumar, 2020: For accomplishments in long distance running[5]
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Template:Flagicon image Tomy, 2013: first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe under sail.[6]
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Template:Flagicon image Donde, 2010: first Indian to complete a solo, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe under sail[7]
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Template:Flagicon image Monga & Kumar, 2007: world trip in a microlight aircraft[8]
Pre-1947 recipients
Key
- No. – Award number
- Rank – Rank at the time of the award
- Year – Year in which the exploration for which the award was given took place
Template:HrTemplate:Multiple image Only recipients with articles have been listed
| No. | Name | Rank | Year | Ref/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MS Bell | Colonel | 1889 | [2] |
| 2 | F Younghusband | Captain | 1890 | [2] |
| 8 | H Bower | Captain | 1893 | [2] |
| 12 | HR Davies | Captain | 1895 | [2] |
| 14 | GK Cockerill | Lieutenant | 1896 | [2] |
| 16 | EJE Swayne | Captain | 1897 | [2] |
| 18 | HB Walker | Captain | 1898 | [2] |
| 41 | KBS Jang | Subedar | 1910 | [2] |
| 44 | G Leachman | Captain | 1911 | [2] |
| 52 | FM Bailey | Captain | 1914 | Template:Sfn |
| 53 | HT Morshead | Captain | 1914 | Template:Sfn |
| 60 | EWC Noel | Captain | 1918 | Template:Sfn |
| 61 | EH Keeling | Lieutenant Colonel | 1919 | [2] |
| 63 | LVS Blacker | Captain | 1920 | [2] |
| 65 | AL Holt | Major | 1921 | [2] |
| 69 | JG Bruce | Captain | 1923 | [2] |
| 76 | CHGH Harvey–Kelly | Major | 1926 | [2] |
| 99 | OC Wingate | Major General | 1943 | [2] |
Post-1947 recipients
Awards were accompanied with entries in the Register for MacGregor Medal. The entry for Captain S.L. Tugnait, awarded for 1958, reads:[9]
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"Captain S.L. Tugnait... Air OP Squadron, Regiment of Artillery. Valuable Military Recce in Northern Ladakh. Covered the route from Leh over the 21,000 ft Chang La (Sic. 17,590 ft) into the Shyok River Valley to Ponyvang Lake (Sic. Pangong Tso). From there to Quazi-Haji Langer-Quaratag Pass, and back by the Karakuram Pass to Daulat Beg Oldi - Sasar Kangri over the Sasar La into the Nubra Valley and back to Leh over the 19,600 ft Kharding La"
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| No. | Service | Name | Awardee details | Year | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Other details | |||||
| 104. | Template:Flagicon image | ZC Bakshi | Major | VrC, 2nd Bn, 5th Gorkha Rifles (F.F) | 1949 | [2] |
| 105. | Template:Flagicon image | IC Katoch | Colonel | MBE, 6th Bn, 5th Gorkha Rifles (F.F) | 1951 | [2] |
| 106. | Template:Flagicon image | MS Jarg | Captain | 3rd Bn, Jat Regiment | 1956 | [2] |
| 107. | Template:Flagicon image | IB Goel | 2nd Lieutenant | Bengal Engineers Group | 1956 | [2] |
| 108. | Template:Flagicon image | Vinod Badhwar | Captain | 5th Bn, 5th Gorkha Rifles (F.F) | 1957 | [2] |
| 109. | Template:Flagicon image | SL Tugnait | Captain | Air Op Squadron, Regiment of Artillery | 1958 | [9] |
| 110. | Template:Flagicon image | ML Whig | Brigadier | MVC FRGS, 2nd Bn, 5th Gorkhas Rifles (F.F) | 1969 | [2] |
| 111. | Template:Flagicon image | Prem Chand | Major | VSM, 13th Bn, Dogra Regiment | 1970 | [2] |
| 112. | Template:Flagicon image | CS Nugyal | Colonel | 6th Bn, Sikh Regiment | 1971 | [2] |
| 113. | Template:Flagicon image | Ravindra Misra | Captain | 4th Bn, 3rd Gorkha Rifles | 1972 | [2] |
| 114. | Template:Flagicon image | Bel Bahadur Pun | Subedar | 4th Bn, 3rd Gorkha Rifles | 1972 | [2] |
| 115. | Template:Flagicon image | Narender Kumar | Colonel | PVSM, KC, AVSM (Retd) Kumaon Regiment | 1978 to 1981 | [2] |
| 116. | Template:Flagicon image | Ram Karan Makkar | Squadron Leader | 127 HU, Indian Air Force | 1986 | Template:Sfnp |
| 117. | Template:Flagicon image | Rana TS Chhina | Flight Lieutenant | 127 HU, Indian Air Force | 1986 | Template:Sfnp |
| 118. | Template:Flagicon image | NJ Korgaokar | Lieutenant Colonel | SM, Garhwal Regiment | 1997 | Template:Sfnp |
| 119. | Template:Flagicon image | Rahul Monga | Wing Commander | SC, Indian Air Force | 2007 | [8] |
| 120. | Template:Flagicon image | Soumik Ghosh | Flight Lieutenant | SC, Indian Air Force | 2010 | [8] |
| 121. | Template:Flagicon image | Dilip Donde | Commander | Indian Navy | 2010 | [7] |
| 122. | Template:Flagicon image | Abhilash Tomy | Lieutenant Commander | Indian Navy, KC, NM | 2013 | [6] |
| 123. | Template:Flagicon image | Sanjay Kumar | Electrical Artificer (P) 3 | Indian Navy | 2020 | [5] |
| 124. | Template:Flagicon image | Rahul Kumar Pandey | Chief Electrical Artificer (Radio) | Indian Navy | 2023 | [10] |
| 125. | Template:Flagicon image | Ram Ratan Jat | Chief Electrical Aircraft Artificer (Radio) | Indian navy | 2024 | [11] |
See also
- Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath
- Major General Rajendra Nath
References
Template:ReflistBibliography
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USI Journals
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External links
- United Service Institution of India, Official website
- Image of medal and ribbon awarded to Havildar Sein U.
Template:Awards and decorations of the Indian Armed Forces
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- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Macgregor Medal. United Service Institution of India. Template:Webarchive. Archived on 1 January 2021.
- ↑ https://x.com/HQ_IDS_India/status/1912469218169151493
- ↑ https://x.com/HQ_IDS_India/status/1912469218169151493
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- ↑ https://x.com/HQ_IDS_India/status/1912469218169151493
- ↑ https://x.com/HQ_IDS_India/status/1912469218169151493