The Closure Commemoration Medal is a military commemoration medal which was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa in 2010, to commemorate the disbandment of the

Commandos Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

, the rural defence component of the

South African National Defence Force The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the armed services. They are in turn accountable to the Minister ...

.South African Medal Website - South African National Defence Force
(Accessed 1 May 2015)61 Mech Battalion Group Veterans Association - RFCA - Closure Commemoration Medal
/ref>
/ref>

The South African military

The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912 and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1958. It consisted of three components, the full-time

Permanent Force The Permanent Force was an integral part of both the South African Defence Force and the South West Africa Territorial Force which consisted of all the full-time volunteers, volunteers of Auxiliaries and national servicemen. South Africa The D ...

, the part-time Citizen Force and the rural defence Commandos. On 27 April 1994, the SADF was integrated with six other independent forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).South African Medal Website - SA Defence Force : 1952-1975
(Accessed 30 April 2015)Warrant of the President of the Republic of South Africa for the Institution of the "UNITAS MEDAL-UNITAS-MEDALJE", Gazette no. 16087 dated 25 November 1994.

Institution

The 183 South African Commando units, consisting of 52,000 serving members, were disbanded in 2003 and members were given the opportunity to join the conventional Citizen Force Regiments or the Sector Policing Forums of the

South African Police Service The South African Police Service (SAPS) is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1,154 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the provincial borders, and a Provincial Commissioner is appointed in ea ...

, or to demobilise. The Closure Commemoration Medal was instituted by the President in 2010 to commemorate the disbandment of the Commandos.South African Medal Website - Legal aspects - Fount of Honour
(Accessed 1 May 2015)

Award criteria

The medal could be awarded to Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks who have served in the Commandos, as well as to the Honorary Colonels, who had completed at least five years service on or after 27 April 2003. The first medals were presented to former Commando members on 30 November 2011.

Order of wear

The Closure Commemoration Medal was instituted subsequent to the publication of the most recent revision of the "South African Consolidated Official Table of Precedence : Orders, Decorations and Medals" on 11 March 2005. As a newly instituted commemoration medal, its logical position in the order of precedence is between the lowest ranked commemoration award and the highest ranked award for loyal service and good conduct.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, MTDlint

* Official military order of precedence: ** Preceded by the

Unitas Medal The Unitas Medal was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa on 4 November 1994. It was awarded to all ranks who were on the active strength of all seven constituent military forces from 27 April 1994 to 10 May 1994, to comme ...

of the Republic of South Africa. ** Succeeded by the Medalje vir Troue Diens and Bar, 50 years of the Republic of South Africa. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Police Service Amalgamation Medal of the Republic of South Africa. ** Succeeded by the Medalje vir Troue Diens and Bar, 50 years of the Republic of South Africa.

Description

;Obverse The Closure Commemoration Medal is a medallion struck in nickel-silver, 38 millimetres in diameter and 3 millimetres thick at the rim, displaying three stacked .303 Lee–Enfield rifles within a wreath of proteas.Commando Closure Commemoration Medal with Small Medal Ribbons as new No 8904
;Reverse The reverse displays the embellished Coat of arms of South Africa above a bar bearing the stamped medal number and, around the perimeter, the inscriptions "CLOSURE COMMEMORATION MEDAL" at left, "SLUITINGSGEDENKMEDALJE" at right and "MEDALE WA KGOTSO WA MATSWALELAKGORO" below. ;Clasp A clasp inscribed "COMMANDOS" was instituted along with the medal, to be worn on the medal ribbon. It was struck in nickel-silver and has a hole at each end to allow it to be sewn onto the medal ribbon. ;Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and green, with a 12 millimetres wide yellow band in the centre. The green and yellow colours have their origin in the ribbon colours of the three awards which were belatedly instituted in 1920, as retrospective awards for Boer veteran officers and men of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

of 1899–1902, the

Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst The ''Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst'', post-nominal letters DTD, is a South African military decoration. It was instituted in 1920 as a retrospective award for Boer officers of the 1899–1902 Second Boer War.Alexander, E.G.M., Barron, G.K.B. a ...

, the

Medalje voor de Anglo-Boere Oorlog The ''Medalje voor de Anglo-Boere Oorlog'' is a South African military campaign medal. It was instituted on 21 December 1920 as a retrospective award for Boer veteran officers and men who fought in the 1899–1902 Second Boer War.Alexander, E.G ...

and the

Lint voor Verwonding The ''Lint voor Verwonding'' (Wound Riband) is a South African military campaign award. It was instituted on 21 December 1920 as a retrospective award for Boer veteran officers and men of the 1899–1902 Second Boer War who had been wounded in ...

. For these three awards, these two colours had been gazetted as green and orange, but the orange appeared as yellow on the actual ribbons.

Discontinuation

Conferment of the Closure Commemoration Medal has not yet been discontinued and qualifying ex-members may still apply.

References

{{South African military decorations and medals Military decorations and medals of South Africa Awards established in 2010 2010 establishments in South Africa