This is an original British World War I Victory Medal named to 2789 Lance Naik Qad Ali of the 1st Battalion, 25th Punjabis, British Indian Army. The medal is correctly impressed on the rim with the recipient’s details: “2789 L-NK. S.A.R. QAD ALI, 1-25 PJB S.” The abbreviation “S.A.R.” may indicate “Sar” or “Sardar”—a term of respect used in Indian ranks—though it may also be a regimental or administrative abbreviation requiring further archival confirmation.

Struck in bronze and measuring 36mm in diameter, the Victory Medal features the classical winged figure of Victory on the obverse and the inscription “THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILISATION 1914–1919” on the reverse. The rainbow-colored silk ribbon is original, with fraying present but intact. The medal is not fitted with a rear pin, and is in overall very good condition with light age wear and patina.

The 25th Punjabis were a distinguished infantry regiment of the British Indian Army, originally raised in 1857 during the Indian Mutiny as the Lahore Punjab Battalion. During World War I, the 1st Battalion, 25th Punjabis served primarily in the Mesopotamian Campaign under the 6th (Poona) Division and later in other expeditionary forces across the Middle East. Indian troops like Lance Naik Qad Ali played a critical role in some of the fiercest campaigns against the Ottoman Empire, enduring extreme heat, disease, and bitter trench warfare far from home. Indian soldiers formed the largest volunteer army in the war, with over 1.3 million serving overseas by the end of the conflict.

The rank of Lance Naik was equivalent to a Lance Corporal in British terms and typically involved junior leadership responsibilities. The naming of the medal confirms this was issued to an Indian soldier who saw overseas service in a qualifying theater of war between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918.

This is a historically rich and desirable example of an Indian-named Victory Medal, representing the valor and sacrifice of colonial troops who fought in one of the most grueling theaters of the First World War.

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