Medal ribbon for "Matron Grace Carter"

[Canuc]

We've only just had "The Crimson Field" shown here in Canada, it seems that this is another programme that I quite enjoyed that didn't get past season one, tante pis.

I have a question though Sister Quayle wears the tibbon of the Royal Red Cross on her tippet but what is teh medal that Matron Carter wears? (photo here http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-crimson-field-tv-review-a-bbc-drama-that-cant-decide-what-its-about-9256610.html#gallery )

The closest I can get to it the Ashanti medal, which does fit if she was brought up in India, but i think the proportions of the stripes are wrong. It might also be the India General Service medal (1895-1902), which is the right time frame, but the ribbon in the photo and the example I've looked at don't quite match for colour.

Any thoughts on that ribbon?

Also, given that the time period chronicled leads up to Oct 1915 wouldn't both of these nurses be entitled to wear the ribbon of the 1914 Star?

Thank you
Canuc

[barryd]

The Ashanti medal, given to those who served in Africa in Gold Coast, now Ghana. About 1901.

[mmm45]

Canuc WW1 campaign medals and stars wouldn't have been issued until 1918 at the earliest.

Ady

[MaecW]

I agree with your identification of the ribbon as the India General Service Medal (1895). The patterning looks right with the equal bands of Red/Green/Red/Green/Red. It is hard to tell the exact colours of the original from the various examples on the internet.
The Queen Alexandra's Military Nursing Service for India was a separate, though parallel, organization to the QAIMNS until the two were combined in the 1920s.
The Indian GSM was replaced in 1909, so it would seem Matron Carter served in India some time between 1895 and 1909.
Maec

[km1971]

The medal is the Queen Alexandra (of Denmark) medal for QA officers. It is based upon that country's order of Danneberg.

Ken

[RRTB]

Ken's right. http://www.qaranc.co.uk/qa-officer-medal.php

[MaecW]

A bit of confusion stepping in here I think. The two Sisters and Matron all wear the QA Officer Medal on their right  (our left as viewed).
The OP had rightly identified the medal ribbon worn on the left (our right) by Sister Quayle as the Royal Red Cross and asked us to identify the medal ribbon, also on the left, worn by Matron Carter. This has equal bands of Red/Green/Red/Green/Red and I stand by my identification of it as the India General Service Medal (1895)

Maec

[km1971]

Hi Maec

I do not see your point. I answered a question about the medal.

Ken

[Scarletwoman]

The main problem here is taking anything about the nurses portrayed on 'The Crimson Field' as accurate. A programme that can't be bothered to get the most simple details right is hardly going to bother about medals. As has already been pointed out the Indian Nursing Service was entirely separate to QAIMNS prior to 1926 and quite impossible for a QAIMNS Matron to have the India General Service Medal.  Presumably the ribbon was displayed to give some credence to Grace Carter speaking fluent Punjabi though there's some discussion even then about what she was speaking and what she was meant to speak. Surprising though she wasn't wearing ribbons of the Queen's/King's South Africa Medal which would have been very likely.

And yes, I've been told dozens of times that 'it's a drama not a documentary'.  Flagship drama by the BBC for the Centenary, so inaccurate that it never earned the expected further series and was dropped. Luckily.