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. 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). 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. Sometimes the awardee would be conferred the medal years after the journey had been made. 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.
History The medal was instituted in May 1887 to honour the memory of United Service Institution of India founder, Major General Sir Charles MacGregor.Macgregor Medal. United Service Institution of India. . Archived on 1 January 2021. 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. After the partition of British India into India and Pakistan, the award was adopted by India and continues to this day. As of 2019, 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. One British officer has been awarded the medal twice, A. S. Lancaster, as a major in 1938, and again as a colonel in 1946; and one British Indian, Shahzad Mir, first as Daffadar, in 1897, then again as Risaldar in 1906. 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 without any attachments, the reduced gold medal without any attachments and the reduced silver medal 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. 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'.
Recent winners
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
Only recipients with articles have been listed No.NameRankYearRef/Notes1MS BellColonel18892F YounghusbandCaptain18908H Bower Captain189312HR Davies Captain189514GK CockerillLieutenant189616EJE SwayneCaptain189718HB WalkerCaptain189841KBS JangSubedar191044G LeachmanCaptain191152FM BaileyCaptain191453HT MorsheadCaptain191460EWC Noel Captain191861EH KeelingLieutenant Colonel191963LVS Blacker Captain192065AL HoltMajor192169JG BruceCaptain192376CHGH Harvey–KellyMajor192699OC WingateMajor General1943
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:
No.ServiceNameAwardee detailsYearNotesRankOther details104.ZC BakshiMajorVrC, 2nd Bn, 5th Gorkha Rifles (F.F)1949105.IC Katoch ColonelMBE, 6th Bn, 5th Gorkha Rifles (F.F)1951106.MS JargCaptain3rd Bn, Jat Regiment1956107.IB Goel2nd LieutenantBengal Engineers Group1956108.Vinod BadhwarCaptain5th Bn, 5th Gorkha Rifles (F.F)1957109.SL TugnaitCaptainAir Op Squadron, Regiment of Artillery1958110.ML WhigBrigadierMVC FRGS, 2nd Bn, 5th Gorkhas Rifles (F.F)1969111.Prem ChandMajorVSM, 13th Bn, Dogra Regiment1970112.CS NugyalColonel6th Bn, Sikh Regiment1971113.Ravindra MisraCaptain4th Bn, 3rd Gorkha Rifles1972114.Bel Bahadur PunSubedar4th Bn, 3rd Gorkha Rifles1972115.Narender KumarColonelPVSM, KC, AVSM (Retd) Kumaon Regiment1978 to 1981116.Ram Karan MakkarSquadron Leader127 HU, Indian Air Force1986117.Rana TS ChhinaFlight Lieutenant127 HU, Indian Air Force1986118.NJ KorgaokarLieutenant ColonelSM, Garhwal Regiment1997119.Rahul MongaWing CommanderSC, Indian Air Force2007120.Anil KumarWing CommanderSC, Indian Air Force2007121.Dilip DondeCommanderIndian Navy2010122.Abhilash TomyLieutenant CommanderKC, NM, Indian Navy2013123.Sanjay KumarElectrical Artificer (P) 3Indian Navy2019124.Sanjeev KumarHavildar (Operator)Indian Army2020125.Anshu Kumar TiwariMaster Warrant OfficerIndian Air Force2021126.Ajay Kumar SinghMajorIndian Army2021127.Digvijay ThakurMajorIndian Army2022128.Kunal SharmaWing CommanderIndian Air Force2022129.D PandaWing CommanderIndian Air Force2023130.Rahul Kumar PandeyChief Electrical Artificer (Radio)Indian Navy2023131.Ram Ratan JatChief Electrical Aircraft Artificer (Radio)Indian Navy2024132.Jhumar Ram PooniaSergeantIndian Air Force2024133.Ranveer JamwalColonelSM, VSM**, Indian Army2024
See also
Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath Major General Rajendra Nath
References Bibliography
USI Journals
External links United Service Institution of India, Official website Image of medal and ribbon awarded to Havildar Sein U.