A number of new Sierra Leonean medals were instituted in the decade from 1961, when the country gained independence, until 1971, when Sierra Leone was declared a republic.

Background

On 27 April 1961,

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

, until then a British colony, became an independent

Dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

within the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

, retaining Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Head of State A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

, with the title

Queen of Sierra Leone Elizabeth II was Queen of Sierra Leone from 1961 to 1971, when Sierra Leone was an independent constitutional monarchy. She was also the monarch of other Commonwealth realms, including the United Kingdom. Her constitutional roles in Sierra Leone ...

. This status continued until 19 April 1971 when the country became a

republic within the Commonwealth The republics in the Commonwealth of Nations are the sovereign states in the organisation with a republican form of government. , 36 out of the 56 member states were republics. While Charles III is the titular Head of the Commonwealth, the King ...

. In the decade after 1961, Sierra Leone instituted a number of new awards, including replacements for former colonial versions. In addition, the

Prime Minister of Sierra Leone This is a list of heads of government of Sierra Leone, from the establishment of the office of Chief Minister in 1954 until the present day. The office of Prime Minister was abolished after the constitutional referendum in 1978, and reinstate ...

was able to recommend his country's citizens for appointment to British orders, including the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. The Sierra Leonean honours system changed again when the country became a republic in 1971, with existing awards replaced and, in 1972, the creation of two orders – the Order of the Republic and the

Order of the Rokel The Order of the Rokel is the second Order (distinction), order of Sierra Leone, after the Order of the Republic (Sierra Leone), Order of the Republic. (Access date 28 June 2021) It may be awarded to recognize Sierra Leoneans who have distinguished ...

Awards instituted by the Dominion of Sierra Leone

All the medals below were instituted by Royal Warrant and appear on the British Order of wear. All were manufactured by the British

Royal Mint The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's official maker of British coins. It is currently located in Llantrisant, Wales, where it moved in 1968. Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly ow ...

On independence

Sierra Leone Independence Medal Orders, decorations, and medals of Sierra Leone Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Awards established in 1961 ...

Established in 1961 on the occasion of the country's independence. The 32mm wide circular

cupronickel Cupronickel or copper–nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper with nickel, usually along with small quantities of other metals added for strength, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. ( Monel is a n ...

medal bears the Queen's effigy and the inscription 'QUEEN ELIZABETH II' on the obverse. The reverse has the

Coat of arms of Sierra Leone The coat of arms of Sierra Leone (along with the flag), were developed by the College of Arms and granted in 1960. Design The shield on the arms depicts a lion beneath a zigzag border, representing the Lion Mountains, after which the country ...

surrounded by the words 'SIERRA LEONE INDEPENDENCE. 27th APRIL 1961'. It was awarded to members of the Sierra Leone police and armed forces serving on 27 April 1961, including seconded British personnel. 5,500 medals were supplied by the

Armed forces

Sierra Leone General Service Medal Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" or "mountain chain" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves ...

Established in 1961. The 32mm wide circular bronze medal bears the Queen's effigy and the inscription 'QUEEN ELIZABETH II' on the obverse. The reverse has the

surrounded by the words 'FOR GENERAL SERVICE. SIERRA LEONE'. It was awarded with a ribbon clasp inscribed 'CONGO' to members of the Sierra Leone armed forces who served during the

Congo Crisis The Congo Crisis () was a period of Crisis, political upheaval and war, conflict between 1960 and 1965 in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The crisis began almost ...

of 1962–63. Seconded British forces qualified if they received no other medal for the same service. 500 medals were supplied by the

Royal Sierra Leone Military Forces Long Service and Good Conduct Medal

RWAFF and KAR Long Service and Good Conduct Medal

Established in 1962, this medal replaced the

Royal West African Frontier Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal __NOTOC__ The Royal West African Frontier Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal was established in September 1903 to reward native African NCOs and men who had completed 18 years, later reduced to 16 years of exemplary service in the Royal Wes ...

. It is a circular silver medal bearing the effigy of the Queen on the obverse with the inscription 'ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F.D'. The reverse is inscribed ''FOR LONG SERVICE AND GOOD CONDUCT'' over four lines with the words ''ROYAL SIERRA LEONE MILITARY FORCES'' around the circumference. It was awarded to NCOs and men who had completed 16 years exemplary service, including service in the earlier Royal West African Frontier Force. 169 awards were made up to 1971.

Police and fire brigades

These medals, six in all, were direct replacements for the previous colonial-era awards. They generally carried over the previous rules and regulations, including the 18 years qualification period for the long service medals. Although the relevant Royal Warrants were drafted on 20 August 1964, there were protracted negotiations between the Sierra Leonean government and the Royal Mint caused by discussion on the precise specification and design of the medals, and by the country's political situation which meant that the awards were a low priority. Eventually, in March 1970, supplies of the ribbons were delivered to the Sierra Leonean authorities. Later the same year, the first names of nominated recipients were submitted to the Royal Mint, and by early 1971 a total of 17 Police Meritorious Service Medals and 94 Police Long Service Medals, impressed on the edge with the recipient's details, had been sent and distributed. In addition, four ribbon clasps were supplied to reflect further police service. These were the only medals supplied. In April 1971 Sierra Leone became a republic and the awarding of these medals was discontinued, no awards having been made for the police gallantry medal, or for any of the fire service medals.

Sierra Leone police medals

There were three medal types: * Sierra Leone Police Medal for Gallantry, which replaced the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry * Sierra Leone Police Medal for Meritorious Service, which replaced the Colonial Police Medal for Meritorious Service * Sierra Leone Police Long Service Medal, which replaced the

Colonial Police Long Service Medal The Colonial Police Long Service Medal was established in 1934 to recognise long service in the police forces of the colonies and overseas territories of the United Kingdom. On 10 April 2012 the medal became known as the Overseas Territories Polic ...

The medals' design showed the Queen's effigy and the inscription 'QUEEN ELIZABETH II' on the obverse. The reverse depicted the scales of justice above a vertical truncheon, with the words 'SIERRA LEONE POLICE FORCE' above, and 'FOR GALLANTRY, FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE' or 'FOR LONG SERVICE' below, as appropriate.

Sierra Leone fire brigades medals

Sierra Leone Fire Brigade Long Service Medal

There were three medal types: * Sierra Leone Fire Brigades Medal for Gallantry, which replaced the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry (Fire Brigades version) * Sierra Leone Fire Brigades Medal for Meritorious Service, which replaced the Colonial Police Medal for Meritorious Service (Fire Brigades version) * Sierra Leone Fire Brigades Long Service Medal, which replaced the

Colonial Fire Brigades Long Service Medal The Colonial Fire Brigades Long Service Medal, now known as the Overseas Territories Fire Brigades Long Service Medal, was established in 1934 to recognise long service in the fire services of the colonies and overseas territories of the United Ki ...

Although no Fire Brigade medals were finally awarded, the medals designs were approved. These showed the Queen's effigy and the inscription 'QUEEN ELIZABETH II' on the obverse. The reverse had a firefighter's helmet and axe superimposed on a laurel wreath, following the former colonial design. Inscribed around the edge are the words 'SIERRA LEONE FIRE BRIGADES' above, with either 'FOR GALLANTRY, FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE' or 'FOR LONG SERVICE' below, as appropriate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medals of Sierra Leone (1961-1971) Awards established in 1961 Awards disestablished in 1971 Long and Meritorious Service Medals of Britain and the Commonwealth Courage awards Civil awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Fire service awards and honors Law enforcement awards and honors 1961 establishments in Sierra Leone 1971 disestablishments in Sierra Leone Sierra Leone and the Commonwealth of Nations Sierra Leone–United Kingdom relations Orders, decorations, and medals of Sierra Leone Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom