The 1940–1945 African War Medal (french: Médaille de la Guerre Africaine 1940-1945, nl, Afrikaanse Oorlogsmedaille 1940-1945) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

war service

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

established by

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

of the

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

on 30 January 1947 and awarded to officers and soldiers for at least one year's service in the

Force Publique The ''Force Publique'' (, "Public Force"; nl, Openbare Weermacht) was a gendarmerie and military force in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885 (when the territory was known as the Congo Free State), through the period of ...

between 10 May 1940 and 7 May 1945. This service was not limited to the Belgian colonies of the Congo and Ruanda-Urundi but also included the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, for which clasps were awarded for six months service in those areas. Persons eligible for award of both the 1940–1945 Colonial War Effort Medal and the 1940–1945 African War Medal could only receive one of the two, usually the one earned for the longest period of service.

Award description

The 1940–1945 African War Medal was a 52mm high (including suspension) by 33mm wide rectangular medal struck from bronze with sloped upper shoulders and rounded lower corners. Its

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ...

bore the relief images of the left profiles of a native African soldier wearing a

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and of a pith-helmeted Belgian soldier, both within a recessed central area. Under the recess, the embossed years "1940 - 1945". The reverse was plain. Four clasps were issued for wear on the ribbon inscribed in French: * NIGERIE for six months service in Nigeria * MOYEN-ORIENT for six months service in the Middle East * MADAGASCAR for six months service in Madagascar * BIRMANIE for six months service in Burma

Air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

personnel who served in theatre whether on an operational combat or transport unit received the medal with a miniature set of bronze wings on the ribbon. The 1940–1945 African War Medal was suspended by a ring passing laterally though a suspension loop at the top of the medal, from a 37mm wide light blue silk moiré ribbon with a 5mm wide central yellow stripe and 3mm wide yellow stripes situated 5mm from the ribbon edges.

References

Other sources

* Quinot H., 1950, ''Recueil illustré des décorations belges et congolaises, 4e Edition.'' (Hasselt) * Cornet R., 1982, ''Recueil des dispositions légales et réglementaires régissant les ordres nationaux belges. 2e Ed. N.pl''., (Brussels) * Borné A.C., 1985, ''Distinctions honorifiques de la Belgique, 1830-1985'' (Brussels)

External links

Bibliothèque royale de Belgique
(In French)

(In French)

(In French and Dutch) {{DEFAULTSORT:1940-1945 African War Medal Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium Military awards and decorations of Belgium Awards established in 1947 1947 establishments in Belgium Belgian Congo in World War II Campaign medals

Award description

See also

References

Other sources

External links