The Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal is a British campaign medal which was awarded to members of the

Cape Colonial Forces The Cape Colonial Forces (CCF) were the official defence organisation of the Cape Colony in South Africa. Established in 1855, they were taken over by the Union of South Africa in 1910, and disbanded when the Union Defence Forces were formed in ...

who took part in three campaigns in and around the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

, in

Basutoland Basutoland was a British Crown colony that existed from 1884 to 1966 in present-day Lesotho. Though the Basotho (then known as Basuto) and their territory had been under British control starting in 1868 (and ruled by Cape Colony from 1871), th ...

in 1880–1881, in

Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ban ...

in 1880–1881 and in Bechuanaland in 1896–1897.The British Empire – Cigarette Cards, Decorations and Medals – Player's Cigarettes card no. 44 (Retrieved 2015-01-26)
/ref>
(Accessed 6 May 2015)

Institution

The Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal was authorised by the government of the Cape of Good Hope, and approved by Queen Victoria in December 1900. It was a retrospective award for veterans of three campaigns which were fought in South Africa between 1880 and 1897. The medal was awarded to the officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the Colonial Forces who were engaged on active service during the campaigns in Basutoland (1880–1881), Tembuland and Griqualand East in Transkei (1880–1881), and Bechuanaland (1896–1897). Three campaign clasps were authorised at the same time.Alexander, E.G.M., Barron, G.K.B. and Bateman, A.J. (1986). ''South African Orders, Decorations and Medals''. Human and Rousseau.

Award criteria

The medal was awarded, upon application, to all surviving veterans who had served in the

in the three campaigns, for active service in the field, for serving as guards at any point where an attack was expected, or who were detailed for some specific or special military service or duty. No medal or clasp could be awarded to any member who had deserted or had been dismissed for misconduct. Because the award of the medal had to be applied for, it was not awarded posthumously. The next-of-kin of members who had been killed in action or who had died while on service therefore received no medal. The published medal roll shows that 5,252 medals were awarded to 5,156 individuals, which included 96 duplicate or triplicate awards.''The Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal Roll, arranged alphabetically'', compiled by Martin Wagner with the assistance of Neil Raaff (Retrieved 2015-01-26)
/ref> Below are the number of medals recorded with each bar combination on the original issue register. The figures in brackets are the actual number of recipients, excluding duplicate awards. * Transkei only – 562 (556) * Basutoland only – 1,589 (1,570) * Bechuanaland only – 2,483 (2,422) * Two clasps: Transkei & Basutoland – 490 (484) * Two clasps: Transkei & Bechuanaland – 18 * Two clasps: Basutoland & Bechuanaland – 77 (72) * Three clasps – 23 * No clasp – 10 (''Possibly awarded with a clasp, but not recorded on the register'') In all, 1,093 Transkei, 2,179 Basutoland and 2,601 Bechuanaland clasps were awarded. No

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

units were present at any of the campaigns, although fifteen British soldiers who had been seconded to local units received the medal.

Basuto Gun War

The duration of the Basutoland Campaign was from 13 September 1880 to 27 April 1881. Following the end of the Zulu wars from 1877 to 1879, Cape of Good Hope Governor

Henry Bartle Frere Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, 1st Baronet, (29 March 1815 – 29 May 1884) was a Welsh British colonial administrator. He had a successful career in India, rising to become Governor of Bombay (1862–1867). However, as High Commissioner for ...

and Prime Minister

Gordon Sprigg Sir John Gordon Sprigg, (27 April 1830 – 4 February 1913) was an English-born colonial administrator, politician and four-time prime minister of the Cape Colony. Early life Sprigg was born in Ipswich, England, into a strongly Puritan fam ...

attempted to disarm the Basotho and ordered them to hand in their firearms. Some chiefs reluctantly complied, but were almost immediately attacked by chiefs who had refused to comply, such as Lerothodi and Moletsane. In September 1880 they also attacked white administrators and, as a result, troops were mobilised and the

Basuto Gun War The Basuto Gun War, also known as the Basutoland Rebellion, was a conflict between the Sotho people, Basuto and the British Cape Colony. It lasted from 13 September 1880 to 29 April 1881 and ended in a Basuto victory. Following Basutoland's tran ...

broke out. Various encounters ensued until February 1881, when an armistice was arranged. Peace was eventually concluded in May 1881. Veterans of this campaign were awarded the Basutoland Clasp.North East Medals – The Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal, 1880 – 1897 (Retrieved 2015-01-26)
/ref> A Collection of British battles illustrated through their campaign medals – Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal 1880–97 (Retrieved 2015-01-26)
/ref>

Transkei Campaign

The duration of the

Campaign was from 13 September 1880 to 13 May 1881. The medal and the Transkei Clasp were awarded for operations in

Thembuland Thembuland, af, Temboeland, is a natural region in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Its territory is the traditional region of the abaThembu, one of the states of the Xhosa nation. It was formerly also known as "Tamboekieland" or "Tam ...

and

Griqualand East Griqualand East (Afrikaans: ''Griekwaland-Oos''), officially known as New Griqualand ( Dutch: ''Nieuw Griqualand''), was one of four short-lived Griqua states in Southern Africa from the early 1860s until the late 1870s and was located between ...

, where the native Xhosa populations were particularly hostile to settlers in the districts of

Tsolo Tsolo is a town in Mhlontlo Local Municipality in O.R.Tambo District of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town is some 42 km north-west of Mthatha and 22 km south-west of Qumbu. The name, derived from Xhosa, is said to me ...

, Maclear,

Matatiele Matatiele is a town located in the northern part of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. According to the South African National Census of 2011, its 12,466 residents (1,113.44 per km²) and 4,107 households (366.83 per km²) make Matati ...

and

Qumbu Qumbu is a town in O.R.Tambo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town is 61 km north of Mthatha and was founded in 1876. The name is of isiXhosa origin, derived from ''amazimba aqumbu'', ‘the corn has ...

Bechuanaland Campaign

The duration of the Bechuanaland Campaign was from 24 December 1896 to 30 July 1897. In April 1896, a severe outbreak of cattle disease occurred, which required that all cattle in the area needed to be slaughtered in an attempt to contain the disease. This was resented by the local Tswana population who, as a result, rose up in protest. A number of engagements occurred and, following a build-up of more Colonial reinforcements in July 1897, the conflict ended after a final action at Langberg on 30 July and 1 August 1897, in which most of the Tswana leaders were either killed or surrendered. Veterans of this campaign were awarded the Bechuanaland Clasp.

Description

The medal was struck in silver and is a disk, in diameter and thick at the raised rim. It is affixed to the swivelling suspender by means of claws and a pin through the upper edge of the medal. The recipient's rank, name and unit were inscribed on the rim, but the medals were not numbered. ;Obverse The obverse depicts the veiled bust of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, with the legend "VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX" around the inside of the raised rim. The designer was Sir Joseph Boehm. ;Reverse The reverse displays the

coat of arms, with a spray of

protea ''Protea'' () is a genus of South African flowering plants, also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: ''suikerbos''). Etymology The genus ''Protea'' was named in 1735 by Carl Linnaeus, possibly after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his form a ...

leaves and a protea flower underneath and the name "CAPE OF GOOD HOPE" on a wide raised rim around the top half of the medal. ;Ribbon The ribbon is wide and dark blue, with a wide yellow centre band. These were also the ribbon colours of the two earlier campaign medals for service in southern Africa. ;Clasps The three clasps which were awarded to indicate the campaigns in which recipients had served, were inscribed "BASUTOLAND", "TRANSKEI" and "BECHUANALAND" respectively.

Order of wear

Campaign medals and stars are not listed by name in the order of wear prescribed by the British

Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, or simply the Central Chancery, is an office of the Lord Chamberlain’s department within the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the administration of or ...

, but are all grouped together as taking precedence after the

Queen's Medal for Chiefs The Queen's Medal for Chiefs is an award of the British Empire. The medal was established in 1920, during the colonial period. The medal was granted to the chiefs within the numerous African, Asian, American and Pacific colonies and mandated ter ...

and before the

Polar Medal The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom to individuals who have outstanding achievements in the field of polar research, and particularly for those who have worked over extended periods in harsh climates. It w ...

s, in order of the date of the campaign for which awarded. In the order of wear of British campaign medals, the Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal takes precedence after the

Kabul to Kandahar Star The Kabul to Kandahar Star, also known as the Roberts Star or Kandahar Bronze Star was awarded to those British and Indian troops who participated in the 320 mile march from Kabul to Kandahar in Afghanistan between 9–31 August 1880, under the co ...

and before the

Egypt Medal The Egypt Medal (1882–1889) was awarded for the military actions involving the British Army and Royal Navy during the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War and in the Sudan between 1884 and 1889. Resentment at increasing British and other European involve ...

South Africa

With effect from 6 April 1952, when a new South African set of decorations and medals was instituted to replace the British awards used to date, the older British decorations and medals applicable to South Africa continued to be worn in the same order of precedence but, with the exception of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, took precedence after all South African orders, decorations and medals awarded to South Africans on or after that date. Of the official British campaign medals which were applicable to South Africans, the Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal takes precedence as shown.Government Notice no. 1982 of 1 October 1954 – ''Order of Precedence of Orders, Decorations and Medals'', published in the Government Gazette of 1 October 1954.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005,

Ribbon - Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal

* Preceded by the

South Africa Medal (1880) The South Africa Medal (1880), often referred to as the Zulu War Medal, is a campaign medal instituted in 1880 and awarded by the British Government to members of the British Army, Royal Naval Brigade and Colonial Volunteers who were involved in ...

. * Succeeded by the

Queen's South Africa Medal The Queen's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, and to civilians employed in an official capacity, who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Altogether twenty-six clasps wer ...

References

External links

Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal roll of recipients, arranged alphabetically
{{South African military decorations and medals British campaign medals Military decorations and medals of South Africa Military decorations and medals of South Africa pre-1952 Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom