New Zealand War Medal, with 5 unofficial clasps

This New Zealand War Medal was awarded to George Davis, with original ribbon and original presentation case. Attached to the ribbon are 5 silver clasps, each engraved with the names of engagements at which Davis was present. The clasps are unofficial, and were commissioned by Davis from the Gisborne silversmith Nasmith.

New Zealand War Medals were awarded to the British troops who served in New Zealand during the wars of 1845-46 and 1860-69. It was also awarded, on application, to members of New Zealand Government forces who could prove that they came under enemy fire during their service.

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This extract originally appeared in Te Ata o Tū The Shadow of Tūmatauenga: The New Zealand Wars Collections of Te Papa (Te Papa Press, 2024).
This extract was authored by Katie Cooper.

The New Zealand Medal (also known as the New Zealand War Medal) was awarded to members of British regular forces (army, navy and Royal Marines), and colonial Volunteers who served the Crown in New Zealand during the wars of 1845–48 and 1860–66. It was authorised in 1869 for issue to surviving members of regular forces who had served ‘in the field against the enemy’, and to Volunteers who could prove they had been under fire.

The medal is a silver disc, 36mm in diameter. On the obverse is a portrait of Queen Victoria; on the reverse is a laurel wreath within which are shown the years the recipient served in New Zealand. The recipient’s name, rank (if above private), service number and unit are engraved on the rim; the silk ribbon is blue, with a central red stripe. About 4400 New Zealand Medals were issued; of these, Te Papa holds more than 40 examples.

This New Zealand War Medal was awarded to George Davis for service in No. 1 Division of the Armed Constabulary between 1867 and 1870. Davis applied for the medal in 1914, and once he had received it he commissioned Gisborne jewellers Nasmith and Son to add five unofficial silver bars to the ribbon.1 Each bar is presumably engraved with the name of an engagement at which Davis was present, either as a member of the Armed Constabulary or during his earlier service as a citizen soldier.

23 [January 1914] New Zealand War Medal claims – George Davis, ACF [Armed Constabulary Force] 1866–1870, Papers relating to New Zealand War Medal and Pension claims, R25718657, Archives New Zealand.