order-in-council was issued on February 16, 1887, after Queen Victoria authorized the design and striking of the medal. With this Canada’s first military medal was born. The design and purpose of such service medals has remained largely the same since the striking of the North West Canada Medal with minor variations. Even the eighteen-month period that it took to get the medal approved is comparable to the time it takes to have a modern Canadian award developed from a rough concept to a completed design.
The next medal with a connection to Canada was the aptly named Canada General Service Medal, sanctioned in 1899 by Queen Victoria for those who had served in the 1866 and 1870 Fenian Raids as well as in the 1870 Red River Rebellion, Riel’s first uprising. The obverse depicted Queen Victoria, while the reverse contained a spreading wreath of maple leaves and the Canadian Red Ensign. Most significantly, the ribbon comprised three equal stripes: red, white, and red, possibly taken from the flag used by the Royal Military College of Canada, founded in 1876.
The Canada General Service medal inaugurated another tradition, the creation of medals many decades after the actual operation or event, there having been a thirty-three year gap between the first Fenian Raid and the issue of the medal.
Chapter 23 provides a detailed account of Canada’s post-1967 war and service medals, while this chapter focuses on those awarded prior to the creation of the modern Canadian honours system. Each of the following entries includes a short description of the conflict in question: these are by no means complete accounts of each war, battle, or engagement; however, they are intended to provide some background to the events recognized with each medal and or clasp.
The Military General Service Medal, 1793–1814
Military General Service Medal obverse.
Origins: The Military General Service Medal was instituted on June 1, 1847, to recognize officers and men who served in a diverse array of wars and engagements that took place between 1793 and 1850. Of the twenty-nine clasps awarded with this medal, twenty-one were awarded for service in the Peninsular War (1808–14) and three were awarded for service in the War of 1812, specifically for engagements at Fort Detroit, Chateauguay, and Crysler’s Farm. It is the three War of 1812 clasps and battles that make this medal of great interest to Canadians. An attempt was made to have clasps created for other key battles, namely, Queenston Heights, Lundy’s Lane, Ogdensburg, Lacolle, and Plattsburg. However, the War Office refused.
Hostilities began on June 18, 1812, when the United States declared war on Britain — and thus Britain’s North American colonies were drawn into the fray. Tensions between Britain and the United States had grown as a result of events surrounding the Napoleonic Wars, one of the factors being Napoleon’s closing of all European ports to British trade. In response to this action, the British began requiring that all neutral ships sailing to Europe have a licence, which had a profound effect on American trade interests, since the United States had maintained neutrality during the conflict.
The British routinely stopped American vessels on the high seas and searched for contraband and deserters from the Royal Navy who had joined U.S. ships. While many of the deserters had since become American citizens, this meant little to the British, who would arrest them and re-impress them into the Royal Navy. While the British government rescinded the orders-in-council permitting this sort of action a few days before the American declaration of war, the slowness of communication meant the news did not reach Washington until after the declaration had been made. The war was fought in five theatres: Atlantic, Western, Niagara, St. Lawrence, and Southern.
The Atlantic operations transpired throughout the entire war period. The Royal Navy, based out of Halifax and the West Indies, maintained a blockade of American ports in an effort to restrict the flow of trade and goods. The most significant naval engagement of the war took place in September 1813 between the HMS Shannon and the USS Chesapeake, which resulted in a humiliating defeat for the Americans outside Boston’s harbour. In addition to this, ships primarily from Nova Scotia were provided with letters of marque that allowed them to legally capture and requisition enemy ships and goods. The Royal Navy also launched attacks on American towns along the Eastern Seaboard.
Military General Service Medal with multiple bars obverse.
Western operations took place in the Great Lakes region, largely over all-important transportation routes. Notable among these operations was the capture of Fort Detroit by British and Canadian troops aided by First Nations warriors. Other incursions included attacks on Fort Dearborn (Chicago), the capture of the post at Michilimackinac, and the final battle at Moraviantown in October 1813.
The Niagara operation involved the many forts and strongholds on the Canadian and American sides of the Niagara River. Almost a dozen battles were fought from Niagara to what is Toronto today. The burning of York (Toronto), the Battle of Queenstown Heights, and the Battle of Beaver Dams were key engagements. The St. Lawrence operation included an attempt by American troops to capture Montreal in an effort to prevent British reinforcements from reaching the inter-ior of Upper Canada and Niagara. The Great Lakes and Lake Champlain witnessed fierce fighting on the water between British/Canadian and American forces. The conflict also included Southern operations such as the Creek War and the Battle of New Orleans.
The Treaty of Ghent ending the war was signed by British and American representatives on December 24, 1814, though it would be several months until the hostilities came to an end on February 17, 1815.
Criteria: Participation in any number of battles or campaigns. This medal could be awarded to a diverse array of combatants, not only those serving in the British Army, Canadian Militia, or Royal Newfoundland Fencibles, but also First Nations warriors. Applications for this medal could only be made by survivors.
Military General Service Medal reverse.
Insignia: A circular silver medal 36 mm in diameter, depicting on the obverse an effigy of Queen Victoria circumscribed by the legend VICTORIA REGINA with the date 1848 at the base. The reverse depicts Queen Victoria standing atop a dais and presenting a kneeling Duke of Wellington with a laurel wreath. Beside the dais is an allegorical British lion. The entire scene is circumscribed by the text TO THE BRITISH ARMY with the dates 1793–1814 in the exergue. The medal was always awarded with at least one bar and was designed by William Wyon.
Suspender: A swivelling claw suspender with a straight bar to which clasps attach.
Ribbon: Crimson in colour, 31 mm wide, edged with 3 mm of dark blue on each side.
Clasps: Twenty-nine battle/campaign clasps were issued, and it was possible for a soldier or officer to receive multiple clasps, the maximum awarded being fifteen. The Canadian-related clasps awarded for the War of 1812 were:
• FORT DETROIT: Sir Isaac Brock, the Canadian Militia, and a large group of First Nations warriors captured the fort from a vastly superior American force on August 16, 1813.
• CHATEAUGUAY: Lieutenant-Colonel Charles de Salaberry and those under his command who defended Montreal from the advancing U.S. force of Major-General Wade Hampton. Aside from a few members of the Royal Artillery, this battle was fought almost entirely by members of the Canadian Militia and First Nations warriors on October 26, 1813.
• CRYSLER’S FARM: The U.S. Army under General James Wilkinson planned another attack on Montreal that was to involve Major-General
