MacGregor Medal

The MacGregor Medal is awarded to Indian Armed Forces personnel for valuable military reconnaissance. The medal was originally instituted in 1888 to honour the memory of United Service Institution of India founder, Maj Gen Sir Charles MacGregor.[1][2]

After the partition of British India into India and Pakistan, the award was adopted by India and continues to this day. So far 117 medals have been awarded: 7 full gold medals to officers, 62 standard size silver medals to officers (including 5 JCOs), and 48 reduced size silver medals to other ranks/soldiers.[1]

Pre-1947 recipients

Notable British Indian officers prior to 1947, to have been awarded the MacGregor Medal (full sized, gold) include Francis Younghusband (1890), Gerard Leachman (1910), Orde Charles Wingate (1943) and Frederick Marshman Bailey (1914).[1] Indian officers and other ranks up to 1947 to receive the standard-sized medal include[3]

  • Risaldar Shahzad Mir, of the Probyn's Horse (1897)
  • Jemadar Gurmukh Singh, SOI, 93rd Burma Infantry (1911)
  • Captain Abdus Samad Shah, OBE, 31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (1922)
  • Lieutenant K A P Fergusson, RA, 1st Royal (Kohat) Mountain Battery and (rank unknown) Tom Bostock, RE (1935)
  • Subedar Tek Bahadur Limbu, Northern Shan States Battalion (1942)
  • Subedar MIA Qureshi, Corps of Indian Engineers (1945)

and others

In addition to the full gold medal, a reduced-sized silver medal was also awarded to junior Indian officers, including :[1]

  • Havildar Ramzan Khan, 3rd Battalion 12th Frontier Force Regiment (1891)
  • (a) Havildar Jagat Singh, 19th Regt of Bengal Infantry (1892) and
  • (b) Havildar Ganga Ram, 44th Gurkha (Rifles) Regiment of Bengal Infantry (1892)
  • Daffadar Shahzad Mir, Scinde Horse (1897) (see above also for 1906 award)
  • Havildar Adam Khan, Queen's Own Corps of Guides (British India), Frontier Force (1898)
  • Naik Mihr Din, The Corps of BengalSappers and Miners (1899)
  • Havildar Gurdit Singh, 45th Rattray's Sikhs (1900)
  • Daffadar (later Risaldar) Moghal Baz Khan Afridi, Queen's Own Corps of Guides Cavalry, Frontier Force (1904)
  • Lance-Naik Ghafur Shah, Queen's Own Corps of Guides, Frontier Force (1906)
  • Havildar Muhammad Raza, 106th Hazara Pioneers (1909)
  • Subedar Khan Bahadur Sher Jang, 55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force), attached to SOI (1910)
  • Lance-Daffadar Mohibullah, Queen's Own Corps of Guides, Frontier Force (1912)
  • Havildar Waratong, Burma Military Police (1913)
  • Naik Haidar Ali Shah, 106th Hazara Pioneers (1914)
  • (a) Naik Abdur Rahman, 1st Battalion 21st Punjabis (1916) and
  • (b) Havildar Zarghun Shah, 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) (1916)
  • Sepoy Mian Afraz Gul, The Khyber Rifles (1917)
  • Co. Quartermaster Havildar Awal Nur, Queen's Own Corps of Guides Infantry, Frontier Force (1920)

and others

Post 1947 (Indian Armed Forces)
  • Major (later Lt Gen) Zorawar Chand Bakhshi, 5th Gurkha Rifles, Frontier Force (1949)
  • Col IC Katoch, 5th Gurkha Rifles, Frontier Force (1951)
  • Capt MS Jarg, the Jat Regiment (1956)
  • 2/Lt IB Goel, Bengal Engineers (1956)
  • Capt V Badhwar 5th Gurkha Rifles, Frontier Force (1957)
  • Capt SL Tugnait Air OP Squadron (1959)
  • Brig ML Whig 5th Gurkha Rifles, Frontier Force (1969)
  • Maj Prem Chand the Dogra Regiment (1970)
  • Col CS Nugyal 6th Btn, the Sikh Regiment(1971)
  • Capt Ravindra Misra 3rd Gurkha Rifles (1972)
  • (a) Sqn Ldr RK Makar Indian Air Force(1986) and
  • (b)Flt Lt Rana Chhina Indian Air Force (1986)
  • Lt Col NJ Korgaonkar (1997)
  • Colonel Narendra Kumar (2010)[4][5][6]
  • Cdr Dilip Donde, SC (2011)
  • Cdr Abhilash Tomy, KC (2013)
  • Wg Cdr Rahul Monga (2015)
  • EA(P)3 Sanjay Kumar (2020)

One British officer has been awarded the medal twice - A. S. Lancaster, as a major in 1938, and again as a colonel in 1946.;[1] and one British Indian one, Shahzad Mir, first as Daffadar, in 1897, then again as Risaldar in 1906.[7]

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References
  1. Macgregor Medal Archived 2008-05-11 at the Wayback Machine, United Service Institution of India web site
  2. Events MacGregor, United Service Institution of India web site
  3. Maj (retd) R Hamond, History of the Macgregor Memorial Medal, 1889-1989, pub. Delhi, 1994, several pages
  4. http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/LGHTfRB4vQFou30J4noLcJ/Bull8217s-glacier.html
  5. http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/the-colonel-who-got-us-siachen
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Hamond, p. 55

Further reading
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