The Independence Commemorative Decoration was a

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

civil decoration Civil awards and decorations are awarded to civilians for distinguished service or for eminence in a field of endeavour. Military personnel might also be eligible for services of a non-military nature. There are various forms of civil awards and d ...

awarded to persons who had rendered valuable service to Rhodesia. The award was instituted in 1970 by Presidential Warrant, the first awards being made the same year. Recipients were entitled to the

post-nominal Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

letters ''ICD''. The medal was a circular bronze medal worn on the breast. The obverse bore the shield from Rhodesia's coat of arms and the legend ''COMMEMORATION OF INDEPENDENCE RHODESIA'', while the reverse was blank. The medal was impressed in small capitals with the recipient's name on the rim, and was awarded with a case of issue, miniature medal for wear, and an illuminated certificate. The ribbon consisted of five equal stripes, green, white, gold, white, green, identical to the

Independence Decoration The Independence Decoration was a Rhodesian civil decoration awarded to persons who played a notable and significant part in the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965. Institution The award was instituted in 1970 by Presidential War ...

. Over 150 awards of the Independence Commemorative Decoration were made between 1970 and 1978.''Rhodesia Medal Roll'', p22-24 Most recipients were political supporters or allies of the

Rhodesian Front The Rhodesian Front was a right-wing conservative political party in Southern Rhodesia, subsequently known as Rhodesia. It was the last ruling party of Southern Rhodesia prior to that country's unilateral declaration of independence, and the rul ...

government of

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...

; the decoration was awarded to over 20

traditional leaders Traditional authority is a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or a regime is largely tied to tradition or custom. The main reason for the given state of affairs is that " things have always been that way".Reinhard Bendi ...

as a reward for their tacit support of the government. Recipients included the ZUPO leader

Jeremiah Chirau Chief Jeremiah Sikireta Chirau, ICD (6 June 1923 – 27 January 1985) was a notable figure among Rhodesia's chiefs, and during the UDI he became the only leader of the Zimbabwe United People's Organisation (ZUPO), a party largely comprising chi ...

, and the Rhodesian High Commissioner in London, Andrew Skeen. The last recipient of the Independence Commemorative Decoration was the sanctions-buster

Jack Malloch John McVicar Malloch ICD, was a South African-born Rhodesian bush pilot, gun-runner and ''sanctions-buster'' who flew in World War II and in various legal and illegal roles around Africa and the Middle East until the early 1980s. in 1978, h ...

, owner of air transport company

Affretair Affretair (National Cargo Airline of Zimbabwe) was a cargo airline based in Zimbabwe. History Affretair was formed as a Gabon-based associate company of Air Trans Africa, when a Douglas DC-8 aircraft was acquired in the early 1970s for over ...

, in 1978. The Decoration fell into abeyance following

Zimbabwe Rhodesia Zimbabwe Rhodesia (), alternatively known as Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, also informally known as Zimbabwe or Rhodesia, and sometimes as Rhobabwe, was a short-lived sovereign state that existed from 1 June to 12 December 1979. Zimbabwe Rhodesia was p ...

's adoption of majority rule in 1979, and the country's transformation into

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

a year later.

Selected recipients

* Roger Hawkins *

Richard Hope Hall Richard Brathwaite Hope Hall ICD (5 June 1924 – 17 November 2007) was a British-born merchant banker, businessman, and politician active in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the 1960s and 70s. A member of Prime Minister Ian Smith's UDI cabinet ...

Jack Pithey Jack William Pithey (born 30 December 1903, date of death unknown) was a Rhodesian politician who served as the unrecognised state's Acting President between 1 November 1978 and 5 March 1979. He was also the President of the Senate of Rhodesi ...

* Andrew Skeen * David Smith * Rubidge Stumbles *

Archibald Wilson Air Marshal Archibald Oliver Garfield Wilson (28 May 19214 July 2014) was a Rhodesian fighter pilot who served in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He went on to become a senior commander and then Air Marshal in the Rhodesian Air Force ...

References

*Saffery, D., 2006.
The Rhodesia Medal Roll
', Jeppestown Press, United Kingdom. {{ISBN, 0-9553936-0-4

External links

Orders, decorations, and medals of Rhodesia