Rhodesia Medal
Encyclopedia
The Rhodesia Medal was initiated by the British
Government in consultation with Australia
, New Zealand
, Fiji
and Kenya
, whose forces took part in Operation AGILA, (Operation MIDFORD
for the New Zealand forces). The role of the multi-national force was to keep peace between 22,000 guerrilla fighters and the Rhodesian forces during the ceasefire run-up to the 1980 elections.
Each country treats the medal as part of its own honours system.
an independence.
-plated cupro-nickel
. The obverse
features the crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II
. The reverse of the medal depicts a sable antelope
surrounded by the inscription 'THE RHODESIA MEDAL' and '1980'. The medal is suspended from a ribbon sky-blue in colour with three central stripes of red, white and blue.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Government in consultation with Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
and Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, whose forces took part in Operation AGILA, (Operation MIDFORD
Operation Midford
Operation Midford was New Zealand's contribution to the Commonwealth Monitoring Force in Rhodesia in late 1979 and early 1980.-Background:The Rhodesian War had dragged on for some 14 years from 1965 until 1979, being largely overshadowed by the television driven Vietnam War...
for the New Zealand forces). The role of the multi-national force was to keep peace between 22,000 guerrilla fighters and the Rhodesian forces during the ceasefire run-up to the 1980 elections.
Each country treats the medal as part of its own honours system.
Qualification
The medal is awarded for service of at least 14 days between 1 December 1979 and 20 March 1980, to members of the military and police forces, as well as eligible civilians, who participated in the lead-up to ZimbabweZimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an independence.
Description
The Rhodesia Medal is circular, made of rhodiumRhodium
Rhodium is a chemical element that is a rare, silvery-white, hard and chemically inert transition metal and a member of the platinum group. It has the chemical symbol Rh and atomic number 45. It is composed of only one isotope, 103Rh. Naturally occurring rhodium is found as the free metal, alloyed...
-plated cupro-nickel
Cupronickel
Cupronickel or copper-nickel or "cupernickel" is an alloy of copper that contains nickel and strengthening elements, such as iron and manganese. Cupronickel is highly resistant to corrosion in seawater, because its electrode potential is adjusted to be neutral with regard to seawater...
. The obverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
features the crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. The reverse of the medal depicts a sable antelope
Sable Antelope
The Sable Antelope is an antelope which inhabits wooded savannah in East Africa south of Kenya, and in Southern Africa.-Subspecies:There are four subspecies:* H. n. niger which is considered low risk conservation dependent...
surrounded by the inscription 'THE RHODESIA MEDAL' and '1980'. The medal is suspended from a ribbon sky-blue in colour with three central stripes of red, white and blue.
Precedence
| Country | Preceding | Following |
 AustraliaAustralia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... Australian Honours Order of Precedence Australian Honours Order of Precedence - Order of wear :Order of precedence for the wearing of decorations and awards within the Australian Honours System.Articles marked with * are awards of the British Empire/United Kingdom and are now considered foreign.... |
Australian Service Medal Australian Service Medal The Australian Service Medal is an Australian military decoration. It was authorized 13 September 1988 to recognise prescribed service in peacekeeping and non-warlike operations. It is awarded with a clasp to denote the prescribed operation and subsequent awards of the medal are made in the form of... |
Police Overseas Service Medal Police Overseas Service Medal (Australia) The Police Overseas Service Medal is an award in the Australian honours system. The award is presented to those members of an Australian Police force who undertake service;* with international peace-keeping organisations, or... |
| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... New Zealand Honours Order of Precedence New Zealand Honours Order of Precedence - Order of Precedence :Order of precedence for the wearing of decorations and awards within New Zealand's honours system.Medals in bold are distinctly New Zealand awards.-Special awards:* Victoria Cross for New Zealand VC* George Cross GC... |
New Zealand Defence Service Medal New Zealand Defence Service Medal The New Zealand Defence Service Medal is a military service medal awarded to former and current members of the New Zealand Defence Force, who have served since 3 September 1945... |
Papua New Guinea Independence Medal |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... Order of precedence |
Cadet Forces Medal | Commonwealth realms orders and decorations Commonwealth Realms orders and decorations This article concerns the orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms awarded by the sovereign in right of each nation.Awards are listed by order of wear.-Antigua and Barbuda:* The Most Exalted Order of the National Hero... Worn in order of date of award |
See also
- Australian campaign medalsAustralian campaign medalsAustralian campaign medals in order of precedence as defined in references below. Those campaign medals which have been independently issued by Australia to its armed forces are in bold.-South African War:* Queen's South Africa Medal...
- British campaign medalsBritish campaign medalsBritish campaign medals are awarded to members of the British Armed Forces, Allied forces and civilians participating in specified military campaigns...
- New Zealand campaign medalsNew Zealand campaign medalsPrior to 1946 the New Zealand armed forces received honours of the United Kingdom, including military decorations and campaign medals. Since the end of World War 2 there have been constant moves towards an independent New Zealand honours system...
External links
- It's an Honour - Australian Government site
- ADF Honours and Awards
- NZDF Medals
- Rhodesia Medal Regulations