East & Central Africa Medal

 

The Colonial Wars In Africa 1898 - 1899.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

The East And Central Africa Medal was a British Empire campaign medal presented for service in Africa predominantly in Uganda. The medal was instituted in 1899 and was awarded to officers and men of the British and colonial armed forces who participated in a number of actions - denoted by clasps - between the years 1898 and 1899.

 

It was issued in silver to European recipients and in bronze to native troops. Seven awards to women are also recorded.

 

 

The medal is circular, 36mm in diameter and was struck in either silver or bronze. The obverse of this medal bears a left facing portrait of Queen Victoria holding the Royal Sceptre with the inscription; 'VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX'.

 

The reverse depicts an image of Britannia standing and facing right, holding a trident a scroll and a palm branch, behind her is a lion and the rising sun with the inscription; 'EAST & CENTRAL AFRICA'.

 

The ribbon suspender is of the plain, straight and swivelling style attached to the medal by a claw mount.

 

The recipient's details can be found on the medal's rim engraved in sloping or upright serif capitals or impressed or engraved serif capitals, while some to native troops have been found in running script.

 

 

 

The ribbon is 32mm wide and is yellow and red in colour.

 

 

This medal was issued with the following clasps:-

 

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

 

* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.

 

 

This section contains information on:-

 

- The British East Africa Protectorate.

- The British Central Africa Protectorate.

- The British Uganda Protectorate.

- The Sudanese Mutiny In Uganda.

 

The British East Africa Protectorate - The East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa) was an area of East Africa occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to Uganda and the Great Rift Valley.

 

It was controlled by Britain in the late 19th century; it grew out of British commercial interests in the area in the 1880s and remained a protectorate until 1920 when it became the colony of Kenya.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The British Central Africa Protectorate - The Central Africa Protectorate (BCA) was a protectorate proclaimed in 1889 and ratified in 1891 that occupied the same area as present-day Malawi: it was renamed Nyasaland in 1907. British interest in the area arose from visits by David Livingstone from 1858 onward during his exploration of the Zambezi area.

 

This encouraged missionary activity starting in the 1860s, followed by a small number of settlers. The Portuguese government attempted to claim much of this area, but their claims were disputed by the British government.

 

To forestall a Portuguese expedition claiming effective occupation, a protectorate was proclaimed, first over the south of this area, then over the whole of it in 1889. After negotiations with the Portuguese and German governments on its boundaries, the protectorate was formally ratified by the British government in May, 1891.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The British Uganda Protectorate - The British Protectorate of Uganda was a protectorate of the British Empire from 1894 to 1962. In 1893 the Imperial British East Africa Company transferred its administration rights of territory consisting mainly of Buganda Kingdom to the British Government.

 

In 1894 the Uganda Protectorate was established, and the territory was extended beyond the borders of Buganda to an area that roughly corresponds to that of present-day Uganda.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Sudanese Mutiny In Uganda - After Britain declared a provisional protectorate over Uganda in 1894, the colonial authorities formed a military unit of 600 regulars and 300 reservists, most of whom were Sudanese. Four Arabic-speaking British officers assumed responsibility for their training.

 

In December 1893, Colvile led a force of several thousand Baganda fighters and 420 Sudanese in a campaign against Bunyoro, Buganda's arch-rival. This ‘pacification’ succeeded in subduing Bunyoro and secured for Buganda a politically dominant role in the protectorate.

 

Sudanese soldiers provided the mainstay of the Ugandan army, whose task was to preserve British interests and to launch punitive expeditions against those who rebelled against the crown. In 1895 the colonial authorities organized these soldiers into rifle companies, which became known as the Uganda Rifles.

 

Despite the good reputation they achieved at riflery, many Sudanese became disillusioned with the rigors of military service in a foreign country under British command. Their grievances included loneliness, low pay, poor food, bad officers, and frequent reassignments, often to remote areas.

 

When the colonial government failed to resolve these problems, the Uganda Rifles mutinied in 1897, killing the commander of the force and five other European officers. Discontent spread rapidly through Uganda's Muslim community, which was sympathetic to the Sudanese soldiers, and violence erupted in several regions. Finally, Britain dispatched troops from India to suppress the mutiny.

 

To prevent another revolt, the colonial government diversified the composition of the military. It reduced the number of Sudanese recruits, increased recruiting among the Indians and Ugandan Africans, and increased the overall ratio of European officers to soldiers. The government also granted a 400 percent military pay raise.