British South Africa Company Medal

Infobox Military Award
name=British South Africa Company Medal


caption=
awarded_by=British South Africa Company
type=Medal
eligibility=First Matabele War, Second Matabele War, and the Pioneer Column
for=Service in the Matabele Wars
campaign=
status=
description=Circular, silver medal, 36 mm inches in diameter. The ribbon consists of four golden yellow and three navy blue stripes.
clasps=Matabeleland 1893,
Rhodesia 1896,
Mashonaland 1897,
Mashonaland 1890
established=1896, 1897, 1927
first_award=
last_award=
total=
posthumous=
recipients=
individual=
higher=
same=
lower=
related=


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The British South Africa Company Medal (1890-97). In 1896, Queen Victoria sanctioned the issue by the British South Africa Company of a medal to troops who had been engaged in the First Matabele War. In 1897, the Queen sanctioned another medal for those engaged in the two campaigns of the Second Matabele War: Rhodesia (1896) and Mashonaland (1897). The three medals are the same except for name and date above the lion on the reverse, and the three wordings above the lion denote the campaign for which the medal was issued.

In 1927, the government of South Rhodesia issued a medal to commemorate the earlier 1890 Pioneer Column. This medal identical to the prior medals, except that it was struck without any campaign details on the reverse.

Description

* A circular, silver medal, 36 mm inches in diameter, with an ornate swivelling suspension decorated with shamrocks, thistles and roses.
* The obverse shows the crowned and veiled head of Queen Victoria with the inscription "Victoria Regina".
* On the reverse is depicted the scene of charging lion, wounded in the chest with an assegai. In the foreground are native weapons and a shield, in the background is a bush, and below the scene is inscribed: "BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY". The recipient's first eligible campaign and date is usually inscribed at the top.
* The ribbon consists of four golden yellow and three navy blue stripes.

Clasps

Four were issued:
# Matabeleland 1893 (No clap issued to those who served exclusively in the First Matabele War)
# Rhodesia 1896 (No clap issued to those who served exclusively in the first year of the Second Matabele War)
# Mashonaland 1897
# Mashonaland 1890

Notable Recipients

* Robert Baden-Powell - service in: Rhodesia (1896)cite web | url = http://pinetreeweb.com/bp-matabele.htm | work = The Pine Tree Web | title = Matabele Campaign | accessdate = 2006-12-02]
* Frederick Russell Burnham - service in: Matabeleland (1893) ; Rhodesia (1896)cite book | last =Davis | first =Richard Harding | authorlink =Richard Harding Davis | coauthors = | title =Real Soldiers of Fortune | publisher =Charles Scribner's Sons | date =1906 | url =http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3029 | id = ISBN 1-59540-686-7]
* Frederick Selous - service in: Mashonaland (1890) ; Matabeleland (1893) ; Rhodesia (1896)cite book | last =Selous | first =Frederick Courteney | authorlink =Frederick Selous | title =Sunshine and Storm in Rhodesia| publisher =R. Ward & Co | date =1896 | location =London | pages = | url =http://books.google.com/books?id=GjNfildy5fsC&pg=PA1&dq=Sunshine+and+Storm+in+Rhodesia]

References

* [http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/britishguide/british_south_africa_company.htm The Guide to British War Medals]
* [http://pinetreeweb.com/bp-matabele.htm Pine Tree Web]