These silver medals were awarded to men of the 71st Highlanders 'for courage, loyalty and good conduct' after five, ten, twenty-one and thirty years service. The medals were introduced around 1801 by the regiment's innovative and forward thinking commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Denis Pack. Pack later commanded an army formation at the battle of Waterloo in 1815.
71st Regiment of Foot - Regimental medal for 21 years service awarded to Sergeant T. Anderson
Individual units issued medals themselves as a way of encouraging loyalty and rewarding distinguished service, in the absence of official awards, many of which were only introduced in recent times.
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