Indian Order of Merit, 2nd Class Reward of Gallantry, 3rd type (1939-1945), with original ribbon buckle. Only 332 awards of the Indian Order of Merit 2nd Class were made during the Second World War.
Condition: Good Very Fine.
The oldest gallantry award of the British Empire, it was founded in 1837 by the Honourable East India Company. Twenty years later it became an official British award when the administration of India passed to the Crown after the Indian Mutiny. Originally known simply as the Order of Merit, it was renamed in 1902 following the introduction of the prestigious British order of that name. During the Second World War some 332 awards of the Indian Order of Merit 2nd Class were made.
