SWPR-VICTORY MEDAL

[roypaule]

Hello Friends,

I have a WWI British Victory Medal and the rank is SWPR. Does it stand for Sweeper? What are sweepers? They are equivalent to what British Rank (if any)?

thanks and regards,

Roy

[Staffsyeoman]

It's an Indian Army designator (as opposed to a rank) . There are 1055 of them listed in the Medal Index Cards, across a variety of regiments and Corps. Over to the IA experts for a description..

[ralphjd]

Just had a look at the NA and SWPR = SWEEPER as you say and is something to do with the Merchant Navy according to them. Ralph.

[Jim Strawbridge]

Definitely Indian Army. I have always thought that they did what it sounds like. . As a cook would cook food so a sweeper used a brush in dusty, windblown areas of India to keep the living quarters free of settled airborne dust. But I could be wrong but definitely nothing to do with ships in this context.

[Raster Scanning]

This is the lowest rank in the Indian Caste system.

A Google search found this.

A Sweeper born of Sweeper parents is considered to be born inherently polluted. The touch of his body is polluting to those higher on the caste hierarchy than he, and they will shrink from his touch, whether or not he has bathed recently. Sweepers are associated with the traditional occupation of cleaning human feces from latrines and sweeping public lanes of all kinds of dirt. Traditionally, Sweepers remove these polluting materials in baskets carried atop the head and dumped out in a garbage pile at the edge of the village or neighborhood. The involvement of Sweepers with such filth accords with their low-status position.

[Raster Scanning]

This is the lowest rank in the Indian Caste system.

A Google search found this.

A Sweeper born of Sweeper parents is considered to be born inherently polluted. The touch of his body is polluting to those higher on the caste hierarchy than he, and they will shrink from his touch, whether or not he has bathed recently. Sweepers are associated with the traditional occupation of cleaning human feces from latrines and sweeping public lanes of all kinds of dirt. Traditionally, Sweepers remove these polluting materials in baskets carried atop the head and dumped out in a garbage pile at the edge of the village or neighborhood. The involvement of Sweepers with such filth accords with their low-status position.

[Raster Scanning]

This is the lowest rank in the Indian Caste system.

A Google search found this.

A Sweeper born of Sweeper parents is considered to be born inherently polluted. The touch of his body is polluting to those higher on the caste hierarchy than he, and they will shrink from his touch, whether or not he has bathed recently. Sweepers are associated with the traditional occupation of cleaning human feces from latrines and sweeping public lanes of all kinds of dirt. Traditionally, Sweepers remove these polluting materials in baskets carried atop the head and dumped out in a garbage pile at the edge of the village or neighborhood. The involvement of Sweepers with such filth accords with their low-status position.