The bar for SYRIA was given with the Naval General Service medal for these operations.
China, 1840-2.—In this war, already described on pages [98] and [99], the following ships' crews were engaged: in 1840 "Melville," "Blenheim," "Wellesley," "Blonde," "Druid," "Conway," "Volage," "Larne," "Alligator," "Pylades," "Modeste," "Cruiser," "Nimrod," "Algerine," "Columbine," "Rattlesnake," and the following ships' crews of the Honourable East India Company: "Atalanta," "Queen," "Enterprise," "Calliope," "Madagascar," "Samarang," "Herald," and "Nemesis"; the latter, a well-armed iron steamer, created great terror amongst the Chinese, who named it the "devil ship." The following ships were added from time to time to the fleet: H.M.S. "Cornwallis," "Endymion," "Vindictive," "North Star," "Cambrian," "Hazard," "Pelican," "Harlequin," "Clio," "Wanderer," "Wolverine," "Hebe," "Serpent," "Royalist," "Plover," "Starling," "Driver," "Vixen," and the hospital ship "Minden," likewise the H.E.I. Co.'s steamers "Auckland," "Akbar," "Memnon," "Hooghley," "Proserpine," "Pluto," "Sesostris," "Medusa," and "Phlegethon."
Scinde, 1843.—The same medal as awarded to the army was awarded to the naval force taking part in the campaign. One hundred and ten medals were issued to the Indus Flotilla, and of these 40 were to Europeans. For Hyderabad 115 medals were issued to the crews of H.E.I. Co.'s "Comet," "Meteor," and "Nimrod." Medals were given to naval men for Meeanee 1843, Hyderabad 1843, and Meeanee-Hyderabad 1843 (see pages [107]-109).
Punjab, 1848-9.—A brigade of seamen, 100 strong with 7 officers, from the Indian Navy under Commander F. T. Powell, served at the Siege of Mooltan, and it is noteworthy that this was the first occasion upon which seamen served so far away from their ships. Medals were awarded with and without bar for Mooltan.
Second China War.—The squadron of British ships engaged under Rear-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour in 1856-60, in the operations already described on pages [98]-100, included the flagship "Calcutta," "Sybille," "Pique," "Winchester," "Encounter," "Bittern," "Hornet," "Comus," "Racehorse," "Barracouta," "Sampson," "Coromandel," "Nankin," "Esk," "Elk," "Amethyst," "Sanspareil," "Cruiser," "Acorn," "Niger," "Inflexible," and a number of gunboats. In the attack on the Taku Forts, August 21st, 1860, the only naval co-operation was made by the gunboats "Clown," "Drake," "Woodcock," and "Janus." Bars were awarded for FATSHAN 1857 (navy only), CANTON 1857, TAKU FORTS 1858 (navy only), TAKU FORTS 1860, and PEKIN 1860. These medals were issued to the navy unnamed, and very few seamen appear to have troubled about having their medals engraved. Many issued to the Indian Navy and some of the marines were, however, impressed in capital Roman letters.
Pegu.—To those seamen and marines who took part in the second Burmese War, 1852-3, the India General Service Medal 1854 was awarded with the bar for PEGU, which, by the way, is somewhat smaller than the other bars issued with this medal (see pages [137]-138). The following ships' crews were engaged: H.M.S. "Fox," "Rattler," "Serpent," "Sphinx," "Salamander," "Hermes," "Winchester," and a gunboat, together with the H.E.I. Co.'s boats "Berenice," "Bhagerutee," "Moofuffer," "Feroze," "Zenobia," "Sesostris," "Medusa," "Pluto," "Proserpine," "Phlegethon," "Soane," "Spy," "Tenasserim," "Mahanuddy," "Fire Queen," "Enterprise," "Indus," "Krishna," "Luckea," "Damoodah," "Sutledge," and "Lord Wm. Bentinck."
South Africa, 1853.—This medal, as previously explained, was awarded to cover all the wars and operations that had taken place in South Africa between 1834 and 1853. No bar was issued with the medal, and the only means of discovering when a recipient was engaged is by looking up the period during which his regiment, or ship, was engaged; but this is not quite so easy in the case of naval medals, as the name and rank only are impressed upon them in Roman capitals in the same type as was used on the Naval General Service medal. The third Kaffir War was the first in which the navy took part, and from the end of 1850 to March 1853 a small naval brigade composed of seamen and marines from the following ships were engaged ashore: "Castor," "Dee," "Grecian," "Hermes," "Penguin," "Pantaloon," "Gladiator," "Orestes," "Rhadamanthus" and "Styx."
CRIMEAN WAR
During the early stages of the war the combined British and French fleets were co-operating in Kavarna Bay, and on April 5th anchored before Odessa, when the Russian commandant firing upon H.M.S. "Furious," which was carrying a flag of truce, the following ships were ordered to open fire on the batteries on April 22nd, 1854. H.M.S. "Furious," "Terrible," "Retribution," "Niger," "Arethusa," and 3 French vessels. The fort was blown up, and the shipping destroyed. Later the "Firebrand" and the "Fury" destroyed the Russian batteries at Sulina, and then with the rest of the fleet took part in the bombardment of Sebastopol.