The Syria-Cilicia Medal () was a French

decoration Decoration may refer to: * Decorative arts * A house painter and decorator's craft * An act or object intended to increase the beauty of a person, room, etc. * An award that is a token of recognition to the recipient intended for wearing Other ...

awarded to military personnel engaged in the hostilities that erupted in the Middle East in the immediate aftermath of World War I. Instituted in 1922, this

campaign medal A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a high ...

was awarded by the French Government for military service in the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

, to those serving on its behalf, since 1918, against ''de facto'' powers in The Levant. The Levant Campaign began in January 1920 when the

Arab Kingdom of Syria The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, No ...

engaged

French armed forces The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. Franc ...

in what would become called the Franco-Syrian War. This campaign ended on 24 July 1920, when French troops entered

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

abolishing the Arab Kingdom of Syria. Turkey took advantage of the situation by also engaging France in what is now called the Franco-Turkish War pitting the French Colonial Forces and

French Armenian Legion The Armenian Legion (french: Légion arménienne) was a volunteer unit that was raised by the Allied Powers to serve in the Middle East Theatre during World War I. Trained and led by French army commanders, the Légion d'Orient (The Eastern Le ...

against the Turkish forces known as the Kuva-yi Milliye. This campaign, running from May 1920 to October 1921 resulted in French partial occupation of Turkish territory. An uneasy peace ensued which was broken on 23 August 1925 when Sultan Pasha al-Atrash declared revolution against France, thus starting the

Great Syrian Revolt The Great Syrian Revolt ( ar, الثورة السورية الكبرى) or Revolt of 1925 was a general uprising across the State of Syria and Greater Lebanon during the period of 1925 to 1927. The leading rebel forces comprised fighters of the ...

(also called the Great Druze Revolt), which took several years for the French Government to subdue.

Award history

The Syria-Cilicia Commemorative Medal was instituted by a decree of 18 July 1922

Musée de la Légion d'Honneur The Musée national de la Légion d'honneur et des ordres de chevalerie (French language, French for "National museum of the Legion of Honour and of orders of chivalry") is a French national museum of orders of merit and orders of chivalry. It i ...

following a Bill initiated by a French

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...

, General de Castelnau, who was also president of the French Military Commission. An almost identical Vichy-sponsored medal was produced during World War II to recognize engagements fought by its forces in the same area from 8 June to 12 July 1941, it was adorned with the clasp "LEVANT 1941". Most battles were between Vichy forces and Free French Forces, this was and still is a source of national pain for France. Consequently, a law of 12 April 1944 abolished this medal and its right to be worn.

Award statute

The Syria-Cilicia Commemorative Medal was bestowed upon the

Army of the Levant The Army of the Levant (french: Armée du Levant) identifies the armed forces of France and then Vichy France which occupied, and were in part recruited from, the French Mandated territories in the Levant during the interwar period and early Wor ...

(and Allied naval/air force personnel operating off the coast of

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coas ...

, between 11 November 1918 and 20 October 1921); as well as members of the military who took part in the operations carried out between 21 July 1925 and 30 September 1926; to civilian personnel of French nationality, fulfilling the same prerequisites as soldiers or sailors in earning this award. Prior to 1939, a series of decrees allowed for its bestowal after 30 September 1926 under very specific conditions. These awards to both civilian and military personnel on special assignment in Lebanon or Syria were very rare. For conferral after 1926, the medal is worn without a clasp.

Award description

The Syria-Cilicia Commemorative Medal is 30mm in diameter circular and struck from bronze. The obverse bears the relief image of the "La République" in the form of the left profile of a helmeted woman's bust, the helmet being adorned with a crown of oak leaves. On either side, the relief inscription along the circumference "RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE" ("French Republic"). The reverse, representing both the army and navy, bears the relief images of an infantry rifle crossed with a naval anchor below two military banners and lances surmounted by the relief inscription "LEVANT". On some variants, the relief inscription "HONNEUR ET PATRIE - SYRIE-CILICIE" ("Honour and Country - Syria Cilicia") or only "HONNEUR ET PATRIE" can be found on one of the banners. In the background, sand dunes, the wall of a Kasbah and palm trees. The medal hangs from a ribbon through a ring passing through the medal's suspension loop. The ring is adorned by a 24 mm in diameter bronze laurel wreath and half crescent. The white silk moiré ribbon is 37 mm wide with 3 mm high blue horizontal stripes 3 mm equidistant. Two gilt clasps with oriental ornamentation can be worn on the ribbon. The first bearing the inscription "LEVANT" for participations in the operations between 11 November 1918 and 20 October 1921. The second clasp bearing the relief inscription "1925-Levant-1926" for operations against the Druze. Both clasps can be earned and displayed simultaneously on the

ribbon A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mater ...

Notable recipients (partial list)

* General

Georges Catroux Georges Albert Julien Catroux (29 January 1877 – 21 December 1969) was a French Army general and diplomat who served in both World War I and World War II, and served as Grand Chancellor of the Légion d'honneur from 1954 to 1969. Life Cat ...

* General Mariano Goybet * General André Hartemann * General

Georges Journois Georges Henri Journois (13 November 1896 – 26 September 1944) was a French resistance fighter and Brigadier General who died in a subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Early life Journois was born on 13 Nov ...

* General Raoul Magrin-Vernerey * General

André-Gaston Prételat A 1939 portrait of Prételat. André-Gaston Prételat (14 November 1874, Wassy, Champagne, France – 6 December 1969, Paris, France) was a general in the French Army. Military career 1910–1918 His first post, from 1910 to 1912, was as mili ...

* General

Jacques-Théodore Saconney Jacques-Théodore Saconney (18 January 1874 in Turin, Italy – 14 July 1935 in Dijon, France) was a Senior French Army General, a scientist, and an adventurous balloonist. He foresaw future developments of the French civil and military air navi ...

* General Raoul Salan * General Jean-Édouard Verneau * Colonel René Génin * Captain Tounsi Tayeb * Father Jules Chaperon

References

Sources