East and West Africa Medal

Award

East and West Africa Medal

Obverse and reverse of the medal

Type| Campaign medal
Awarded for| Campaign service
Presented by| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Eligibility| British and locally recruited forces
Campaign(s)| East and West Africa 1887-1900
Clasps|

* 1887-8
* Witu 1890
* 1891-2
* 1892
* Witu August 1893
* Liwondi 1893
* Juba River 1893
* Lake Nyassa 1893
* 1893-94
* Gambia 1894
* Benin River 1894
* Brass River 1895
* 1896-98
* Niger 1897
* Benin 1897
* Dawita 1897
* 1897-98
* 1898
* Sierra Leone 1898-99
* 1899
* 1900

Ribbon: Yellow with black edges and 2 black stripes towards the centre

The East and West Africa Medal, established in 1892, was a campaign medal awarded for minor campaigns that took place in East and West Africa between 1887 and 1900. A total of twenty one clasps were issued.[1]

Awards of the medal covered punitive expeditions against local tribesmen, generally in response to attacks against Europeans or neighbouring tribes, or for operations to suppress slavery. Most medals were granted to personnel from either the Royal Navy, the West India Regiment or British led local forces, including locally recruited police. No units of the British Army were present, although a number of officers and non commissioned officers received the medal while seconded to local units.[2] Recipients of the Benin 1897 clasp included three nursing sisters.[3]

The obverse bears a left-facing portrait of Queen Victoria with the inscription "VICTORIA REGINA".[1]
The reverse has an image of British soldiers fighting Africans in dense jungle. The design, by Sir Edward Poynter, was also used on the reverses of the Ashantee Medal and the Central Africa Medal.[4]
The recipient's name, rank and unit appear on the rim of the medal, using a number of different impressed and engraved styles.[2]
The medal was issued in silver to officers and men of the British led forces. The medal with some clasps was also awarded in bronze to native porters.[5]
The 31.7 millimetres (1.25 in) wide ribbon is yellow with black edges and two black stripes towards the centre.[5]

## Clasps[edit]

A total of 21 clasps were awarded. Those who qualified for a second or subsequent clasp received the new clasp only to be attached to their existing medal.[6] While the majority of recipients only qualified for one clasp, medals have been seen with as many as seven.[2]

Recipients of the earlier Ashantee Medal, awarded for the Ashantee War of 1873–74, who also qualified for the East and West Africa Medal were awarded the appropriate clasp only to attach to their existing Ashantee Medal.[7]

* 1887–8

Operations against the Yonnie people in Sierra Leone, 13 November 1887 – 2 January 1888

* Witu 1890

A punitive expedition against the Sultan of Witu of Wituland in present day Kenya, 17 – 27 October 1890

* 1891–2

An expedition in Gambia against Chief Fodeh Cabbah, 29 December 1891 – 2 February 1892

* 1892

Three separate expeditions against Tambi and Toniataba peoples in Sierra Leone and the Jebus in Southern Nigeria, 8 March – 25 May 1892

* Witu August 1893

A further expedition against Sultan of Witu, 7 – 13 August 1893

* Liwondi 1893

A small naval force sent against Chief Liwondi in British Central Africa, February – March 1893

* Juba River 1893

A small volunteer force against the Somalis in Jubaland, 23 – 25 August 1893

* Lake Nyassa 1893

A small volunteer boat party against Chief Makanjira, November 1893

* 1893–94

Two separate operations against tribesmen in Sierra Leone and Gambia, 26 November 1893 – 11 March 1894

* Gambia 1894

Naval expedition up the Gambia River, 23 February – 13 March 1894

* Benin River 1894

Naval expedition up the Benin River, August–September 1894

* Brass River 1895

Operations against King Koko in Southern Nigeria, 17 – 26 February 1895

* 1896–98

Several punitive expeditions into the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast, 27 November 1896 – 27 June 1898

* Niger 1897

An expedition to Western Provinces of Nigeria by the Royal Niger Constabulary, 6 January – 26 February 1897

* Benin 1897

A punitive column to Benin City consisting of Royal Navy and locally recruited police, 6 February – 7 August 1897

* Dawkita 1897

The defence of Dawkita in the Gold Coast against Sofa tribe slavers, 28 March 1897

* 1897–98

Expeditions in the hinterland of Lagos in Southern Nigeria, September 1897 – 14 June 1898

* 1898

Three separate expeditions against in Northern Nigeria, 1898

* Sierra Leone 1898–99

Two expeditions involving native troops and a naval brigade, 18 February 1898 – 9 March 1899

* 1899

Three separate expeditions in Southern Nigeria, February – May 1899

* 1900

Two separate expeditions against the Kaduna and Munshi people in the Northern Province of Nigeria, 4 January – 9 May 1900

Those who served in the Mwele campaign of 1895-96 on the Kenyan coast did not qualify for a clasp, but received the medal with the inscription "MWELE" and the dates "1895" or "1895-6" engraved on the rim, next to the claw of the medal.[8]

Clasps inscribed 1896-97 and 1896-99 were authorised, but never issued.[2]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ a b Entry at Medals of the World
2. ^ a b c d Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin. (1988). British Battles and Medals. London: Spink. pp. 167–70.
3. ^ Orders & Medals Research Society Journal, September 2017, page 177.
4. ^ North East Medals entry on Ashantee Medal
5. ^ a b John Mussell (ed). Medal Yearbook 2015. p. 155\. Published by Token Publishing Ltd. Honiton, Devon.
6. ^ Captain H. Taprell Dorling (1956), Ribbons and Medals, London: A.H.Baldwin & Sons. pp 66-7.
7. ^ Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin. (1988). British Battles and Medals. London: Spink. p. 149.
8. ^ Narbeth, Colin (2002), Collecting Military Medals, James Clarke & Co, p. 47, ISBN 0-7188-9009-4

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British campaign medals

18th century|

* Naval General Service Medal (1793–1840)
* Naval Gold Medal (1793–1815)
* Military General Service Medal (1793–1814)

19th century|

* Army of India Medal (1803–26)
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* Candahar, Ghuznee, Cabul Medal (1842)
* Medal for the Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie (1842)
* Scinde Medal (1843)
* Gwalior Star (1843)
* Sutlej Medal (1845–6)
* New Zealand Medal (1845–7, 1860–6)
* Punjab Medal (1848–9)
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* Baltic Medal (1854–5)
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* Second China War Medal (1857–60)
* Canada General Service Medal (1866–70)
* Abyssinian War Medal (1867–8)
* Ashantee Medal (1873–4)
* South Africa Medal (1877–9)
* Afghanistan Medal (1878–80)
* Kabul to Kandahar Star (1880)
* Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal (1880-1, 1896–7)
* Egypt Medal (1882–9)
* Royal Niger Company Medal (1886–97)
* North West Canada Medal (1885)
* East and West Africa Medal (1887–1900)
* British South Africa Company Medal (1890–7)
* Central Africa Medal (1891–8)
* India Medal (1895–1902)
* Ashanti Star (1895–6)
* Queen's Sudan Medal (1896–8)
* East and Central Africa Medal (1897–9)
* Queen's South Africa Medal (1899–1902)
* Queen's Mediterranean Medal (1899–1902)
* Transport Medal (1899–1902)
* China War Medal (1900)
* Ashanti Medal (1900)

20th century
pre-First World War|

* King's South Africa Medal (1902)
* Africa General Service Medal (1902–56)
* Tibet Medal (1905)
* Natal Native Rebellion Medal (1906)
* India General Service Medal (1909)

First World War|

* 1914 Star
* 1914–15 Star
* British War Medal
* Mercantile Marine War Medal
* Victory Medal (United Kingdom)
* Victory Medal (South Africa)
* Territorial War Medal

Inter World War|

* Naval General Service Medal (1915)
* General Service Medal (1918)
* India General Service Medal (1936)

Second World War|

* 1939–1945 Star
* Atlantic Star
* Arctic Star
* Air Crew Europe Star
* Africa Star
* Pacific Star
* Burma Star
* Italy Star
* France and Germany Star
* Defence Medal
* War Medal 1939–1945
* Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
* Africa Service Medal
* India Service Medal
* New Zealand War Service Medal
* Australia Service Medal
* Southern Rhodesia Service Medal

Post War|

* Korea Medal (1951)
* Nuclear Test Medal (1952)
* General Service Medal (1962)
* Rhodesia Medal (1980)
* South Atlantic Medal (1982)
* Gulf Medal (1992)

21st century|

* OSM for Sierra Leone (2000)
* OSM for Afghanistan (2002)
* OSM for Democratic Republic of Congo (2003)
* Iraq Medal (2004)
* Iraq Reconstruction Service Medal (2004)
* Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan) (2011)
* Ebola Medal (2015)
* General Service Medal (2008) (2015)
* OSM for Iraq & Syria (2017)
* Humanitarian Medal (2023)
* Wider Service Medal (2024)

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