22nd Foot (Cheshire Regiment) Silver Regimental Medal of Merit

In very good NEF condition with no edge knocks or polishing. Unnamed as issued. Issued in silver for 14 years good conduct. Such medals were replaced in the 1850s by the issue of the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. Silver dark toned. Often found unofficially mounted with a suspender but this has not been so modified. Scarce.

The 22nd Regiment of Foot (restyled as the Cheshire Regiment in 1881) was one of the very few British Infantry regiments to not qualify / earn the retrospective MGS Medal, or present at Waterloo.
During the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the 22nd served in the West Indies from September 1793, where it took part in expeditions against Martinique, Saint Lucia, Guadeloupe, and Saint-Domingue. In January 1800 the regiment was briefly posted to South Africa, before moving to India, where it served at Bhurtpore in 1805 and at the Capture of Deig. In 1810, the regiment took part in the occupation of Mauritius. For their services during that period only 8 x 'All Ranks' were alive to later claim their Army Of India medals with the clasp 'Capture of Deig'
It was only in 1843 during the Scinde Campaign, that the regiment first qualified as a unit to receive campaign medals in respect of their services at Meeanee & Hyderabad

Basically, the paucity of campaign medals awarded to the 22nd Foot in the early 19th Century era, the series of regimental medals, were the only tangible means of recognising the individual services of long service veterans in the regiment.

Obverse illustrating King George III receiving the medal from Colonel Crosbie on the terrace at Windsor, the castle in the background, inscribed "ESTABLISHED UNDER ROYAL SANCTION" above and dated "1785" below, engraver marked "MOSSOP. P." on the edge of the platform that the King is standing upon, reverse inscribed "REESTABLISHED BY COL: SIR H: GOUGH 1ST JANUARY 1820" in the centre, surrounded by the inscription "ORDER OF MERIT 22nd REGIMENT", with crossed branches of oak leaves and acorns at the base, measuring 36 mm in diameter, hinged silver suspension bar with lightly soiled original white ribbon, extremely fine.

The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. The regiment was expanded in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the linking of the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment of Foot and the militia and rifle volunteers of Cheshire. The title 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment continued to be used within the regiment. On September 1, 2007, the Cheshire Regiment was merged with the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot) and the Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) to form a new large regiment, the Mercian Regiment, becoming the 1st Battalion, Mercian Regiment.

Balmer No R246 refers.

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Code: 65130