Colonial Medal
Encyclopedia
The Colonial Medal was a French decoration created by the "loi de finances" of 26 July 1893 (article 75) to reward "military services in the colonies
, resulting from participation in military operations, in a colony or a protectorate". A decree of 6 June 1962 changed the term "colonial" to "overseas" (see Overseas Medal
).
Since then, numerous other regulations were made which amend or supplement the award of this medal. The most recent include the decree of June 6, 1962 which transformed the Médaille Coloniale to Médaille d'Outre-Mer.
The colonial medal is closely linked to the existence of the French colonial empire .
Article 4 of the Decree of 1894 establishes the design of the medal. The it is 30mm diameter in silver. On the obverse there is the helmeted effigy of the Republic with "République française" engraved above. On the reverse, a world map occupies the central field, resting on an anchor across a trophy of arms . The ribbon, is white and blue with vertical stripes. Its length can vary this from 35 to 37 mm.
The design of the medal is attributed to Capitaine de frégate Saulnier Pinellas, because the original award was for sailors. Its production had the distinction of being performed by the administration of the Paris Mint and a private company that was responsible for manufacturing the socket of the pendant ring leaves and clasps crimping indentations. The sets were to be delivered complete to the ministries of the Navy and War . The ribbon, the skewer assembly and assembly were also part of the supply.
The two departments then presented the medals to the recipients, with some delay as they were not always immediately available. The monopoly of the Paris Mint and the sluggishness of its administration thus created a boom for the private market, forcing the administration to allow the manufacture in "parallel" under the set forth specifications. Nevertheless, some marginal versions appeared.
In 1913, the Monnaie de Paris
decided to fully bear the manufacture of the Colonial Medal. The second type sees its official medal redrawn and engraved by G. Lindauer. The engraving of Georges Lemaire is recessed so that the first official type, it was relief. The foliage becomes single-sided pendant ring and the sleeve is formed of two truncated cones. For a very short period Hinged clips are rounded instead of being indented. There were many contemporary manufacturers.
With campaign clasp, if applicable.
French colonial empire
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
, resulting from participation in military operations, in a colony or a protectorate". A decree of 6 June 1962 changed the term "colonial" to "overseas" (see Overseas Medal
Overseas Medal
The Overseas Medal is a commemorative or campaign medal issued to members of the French Armed Forces for participating in operations outside national territory...
).
Medal
Introduced by the Finance Act of 23 July 1893, its implementing decree dated 6 March 1894 lists the military operations carried out by France in its colonies or protectorates (Algeria - Cochin - Gold Coast - Marquesas Islands - Nossi- Bé - New Caledonia - Senegal and Sudan - Society Islands - Tunisia). The scope of the decree was therefore a broad retroactive effect, since the first operations considered for the award of the Medal colonial dating back to 1827, at the very beginning of the conquest of Algeria.Since then, numerous other regulations were made which amend or supplement the award of this medal. The most recent include the decree of June 6, 1962 which transformed the Médaille Coloniale to Médaille d'Outre-Mer.
The colonial medal is closely linked to the existence of the French colonial empire .
Article 4 of the Decree of 1894 establishes the design of the medal. The it is 30mm diameter in silver. On the obverse there is the helmeted effigy of the Republic with "République française" engraved above. On the reverse, a world map occupies the central field, resting on an anchor across a trophy of arms . The ribbon, is white and blue with vertical stripes. Its length can vary this from 35 to 37 mm.
The design of the medal is attributed to Capitaine de frégate Saulnier Pinellas, because the original award was for sailors. Its production had the distinction of being performed by the administration of the Paris Mint and a private company that was responsible for manufacturing the socket of the pendant ring leaves and clasps crimping indentations. The sets were to be delivered complete to the ministries of the Navy and War . The ribbon, the skewer assembly and assembly were also part of the supply.
The two departments then presented the medals to the recipients, with some delay as they were not always immediately available. The monopoly of the Paris Mint and the sluggishness of its administration thus created a boom for the private market, forcing the administration to allow the manufacture in "parallel" under the set forth specifications. Nevertheless, some marginal versions appeared.
In 1913, the Monnaie de Paris
Monnaie de Paris
The Monnaie de Paris or, more administratively speaking, the "Direction of Coins and Medals", is an administration of the French government charged with issuing coins as well as producing medals and other similar items. Many ancient coins are housed there...
decided to fully bear the manufacture of the Colonial Medal. The second type sees its official medal redrawn and engraved by G. Lindauer. The engraving of Georges Lemaire is recessed so that the first official type, it was relief. The foliage becomes single-sided pendant ring and the sleeve is formed of two truncated cones. For a very short period Hinged clips are rounded instead of being indented. There were many contemporary manufacturers.
Campaign Clasps
Campaign clasps which could be attached to medals awarded for service in overseas or colonial possessions include:- Algeria
- Cochinchina
- Gold Coast (Côte De L'or)
- Marquesas Islands (Îles Marquises)
- Nossi-Be
- New Caledonia (Nouvelle-Caledonie)
- Madagascar
- Senegal Sudan (Senegal-Soudan), created February 22, 1896
- Society IslandsSociety IslandsThe Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
(Îles De La Socitie) - French West Africa, created in 1900
- Morocco, awarded for service in the Rif WarRif WarThe Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif Berbers.-Rifian forces:...
(1912–1926) - Tunisia (Tunisie)
- Sahara
- Bir-Hakiem, 1942
- Eritrea (Erythree)
- Ethiopia (Ethiopie)
- Fezzan
- Fezzan Tripolitania (Fezzan Tripolitanie)
- Kurfa (Koufra)
- Libya (Libye)
- Somalia (Somalie)
- Tunisia (Tunisie), 1942–1943
- Free French Africa (Afrique Fraçaise Libre)
Recipients
- Anton DocherAnton DocherAnton Docher was a French Roman Catholic priest, missionary and defender of the Indians. He was born in 1852 in Le Crest, a small wine growing village of Puy de Dôme in Auvergne. He lived in the pueblo of Isleta in the state of New Mexico for 34 years...
- Bernard Saint-HillierBernard Saint-HillierBernard Saint-Hillier was a French general.Saint-Hillier graduated from Saint-Cyr in 1933 and was affected to the 11th Chasseurs alpins Battalion. In 1938, he joined the French Foreign Legion with the rank of captain...
(Eritrea, Libya, Bir Hakeim, Tunisia) - Joseph de Goislard de MonsabertJoseph de Goislard de MonsabertJoseph de Goislard de Monsabert , was a French general who served during the Second World War....
(Morocco) - Pierre JeanpierrePierre JeanpierrePierre Paul Jeanpierre was a French Army officer. He fought during World War II, the First Indochina War, the Suez Crisis and the Algerian War, where he was killed in action...
- Paul Arnaud de FoïardPaul Arnaud de FoïardPaul Marie Félix Jacques René Arnaud de Foïard was a French Army general, he took part in World War II, First Indochina War and Algerian War.-Biography:...
(Extrême-Orient) - Pierre GarbayPierre Garbay-Biography:Of modest origins, after completing high school, Garbay was admitted to Saint-Cyr military academy and graduated as a sub-lieutenant in 1924. He then followed a distinguished military career which led from Morocco to China....
(Morocco 1925, AFL, Eritrea, Libya, Tunisia) - Louis Jules TrochuLouis Jules TrochuLouis Jules Trochu was a French military leader and politician. He served as President of the Government of National Defense—France's de facto head of state—from 4 September 1870 until his resignation on 22 January 1871 .- Military career :He was born at Palais...
(Algeria) - Philippe Leclerc de HauteclocquePhilippe Leclerc de HauteclocquePhilippe François Marie, comte de Hauteclocque, then Leclerc de Hauteclocque, by a 1945 decree that incorporated his French Resistance alias Jacques-Philippe Leclerc to his name, , was a French general during World War II...
(bars, unknown campaigns) - Henri Gouraud (Senegal and Sudan, Morocco, Mauretania and Adrar)
- Charles ManginCharles ManginCharles Emmanuel Marie Mangin was a French general during World War I.-Early career:...
(Senegal and Sudan) - André LalandeAndré Lalande (soldier)André Lalande was an officer in the Chasseurs Alpins and in the French Foreign Legion.He was a Breton who studied at the French military academy, the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr from 1931 to 1933 and was posted 2nd Lieutenant at Metz.In 1937 he requested a transfer to the 6th Bataillon...
- Peter Julien OrtizPeter Julien OrtizColonel Pierre Julien Ortiz OBE was one of the most decorated Marine officers of World War II. He served in both Africa and Europe throughout the war, as a member of the Office of Strategic Services .-Military career:...
- Gaston PalewskiGaston PalewskiGaston Palewski , French politician, was a close associate of Charles de Gaulle during and after World War II. He is also remembered as the lover of the English novelist Nancy Mitford, and appears in a fictionalised form in two of her novels.-Biography:Palewski was born in Paris, the son of an...
- Philippe RagueneauPhilippe RagueneauPhilippe Ragueneau was a French journalist and writer. He was born in Orléans and died in Gordes...
- Louis ArchinardLouis ArchinardLouis Archinard was a French Army general at the time of the Third Republic, who contributed to the colonial conquest of French West Africa. He was traditionally presented in French histories as the conqueror and "Pacifier" of French Soudan . Archinard's campaigns brought about the end of the...
(Sudan) - Olivier MazelOlivier MazelOlivier Charles Armand Adrien Mazel was a French Army general during World War I. He commanded the First and Fifth Armies during the war.-Decorations:*Légion d'honneur**Knight **Officer...
(Tunisia) - Joseph VuilleminJoseph VuilleminGeneral Joseph Vuillemin was a French military aviator who took part in both world wars.-First World War:In June 1915, he was promoted to captain and became a squadron commander in February 1918...
(Sahara, Africa) - Célestin HennionCélestin HennionCélestin Hennion CVO was a French police officer who rose to head the Prefecture of Police . He is notable for his reorganisation of the Préfecture and the introduction of the Tiger's Brigades...
- Pham Van DongPham Van Dong (ARVN general)Phạm Văn Đồng was a Vietnamese general known for his bravery. In 1965, as military governor of Saigon, he had successfully repressed Buddhist mobs instigated by Thích Trí Quang of the Ấn Quang group and Thích Tâm Châu of Việt Nam Quốc Tự. With his commanding skills and knowledge, Đồng was regarded...
(Barrette Extrême Orient: for operations and campaigns in TonkinTonkinTonkin , also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is the northernmost part of Vietnam, south of China's Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces, east of northern Laos, and west of the Gulf of Tonkin. Locally, it is known as Bắc Kỳ, meaning "Northern Region"...
)
External links
- http://www.france-phaleristique.com/accueil.htm
- http://www.phaleristique.net