Uganda Star

 

The Sudanese Mutiny In Uganda 1897 - 1898.

 

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

 

 

The Uganda Star was a British Empire campaign medal presented for service during a period of rebellion in Uganda. The medal was instituted in 1897 and was awarded to acknowledge the loyalty of tribal leaders in Uganda - and a number of loyal Sudanese troops - following the mutiny of Sudanese forces that formed a part of the colonial army that served in the British Uganda Protectorate.

 

The medal was manufactured by Carrington’s of London and was presented in a blue plush lined case - only 39 were issued.

 

 

The medal is of a seven pointed star design surmounted by a crown and was struck in silver. The obverse of the medal depicts an image of the old head of Queen Victoria contained within a circular rim that has the dates; ‘1897’ and; ‘1898’ above and below.

 

 

None were used with this medal.

 

 

None were authorised for this medal.

 

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 Uganda Protectorate.

- The Sudanese Mutiny In Uganda.

 

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, Major-General Sir Henry Edward Colville 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.