Sudan Defence Force General Service Medal

 

General Service In The Sudan 1933 - 1941.

 

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

 

 

The Sudan Defence Force General Service Medal was instituted in November 1933 and awarded to personnel of the Sudan Defence Force and the Police, on the recommendation of the Kaid El’Amm for service in the field on minor campaigns in the Sudan after 1933.

 

The medal was also awarded for action against Italian forces in certain areas of the Sudan from June 1940 to November 1941.

 

Approximately 4,700 medals issued.

 

 

The medal is circular, 36mm in diameter and was struck in silver. The obverse of this medal bears cypher of the Governor General of the Sudan,

 

The reverse depicts a stationary group of typical Sudanese soldiers in a mix of mounted (on camels as well as horses) and un-mounted posses. Below these (in Arabic) can be found the inscription; ‘SUDAN’.

 

The ribbon suspender is of the plain, straight and swivelling style, which is riveted to the medal.

 

This medal was issued un-named.

 

 

 

The ribbon is 32mm wide and has a royal blue central stripe, edged by two yellow, then two black stripes.

 

 

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.

 

** The individual medal value will vary considerably based on the recipient’s details.

 

 

This section contains information on:-

 

- The Sudan Defence Force.

 

The Sudan Defence Force - The Sudan Defence Force (SDF) was a British Army unit formed in 1925, as its name indicates, to maintain the borders of the Sudan under the British administration. During the Second World War, it also served beyond the Sudan in the East African Campaign and in the Western Desert Campaign.

 

During the inter war years, the main duties of the SDF were internal security: assisting the police in the event of unrest or natural disaster. In such a vast country, companies could be detached on garrison duties far from the actual Corps headquarters.

 

In the mid to late 1930s, the SDF was used to counter the aggressive actions of Italian military forces under Marshal Italo Balbo based in Italian North Africa (Africa Settentrionale Italiana, or ASI) Libya.

 

In December 1933, the Italians probed various positions in the Jebel Uweinat area along the poorly defined border between the Kingdom of Egypt, the Sudan, and ASI. Responding to the Italian probes in the area, the SDF was ordered to occupy the Merga oasis and then the area around the Karkur Marr spring.

 

The Italian conquest of Ethiopia led to a reorganisation and an increase in scope of the force. By June 1940 the SDF comprised twenty-one companies - including five (later six) Motor Machine Gun Companies - totalling 4,500 men.

 

As part of the Anglo-Egyptian 'Condominium', the Sudan was at war with the Axis from the time Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and the United Kingdom declared war on Germany. Initially the war was limited to Europe and so the Sudan Defence Force had little to do other than preparation work should the land war reach Africa.

 

From 10 June 1940, when Fascist Italy declared war on Britain and France, the SDF was involved in the East African Campaign. At first, the SDF went on the defensive against attacks into the Sudan by forces of the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito) and the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) based in Italian East Africa (Africa Orientale Italiana, or AOI).

 

The Italians occupied the railway junction at Kassala, the small fort at Gallabat, and the villages of Ghezzan, Kurmuk, and Dumbode on the Blue Nile. In the first days of August, an Italian force of irregular Eritreans raided as far north as Port Sudan.

 

The Sudan Defence Force fought on the 'Northern Front' during the East African Campaign under the overall command of Lieutenant-General William Platt. In October 1940, three motor machine-gun companies from the SDF were part of Gazelle Force, a mobile reconnaissance and fighting force commanded by Colonel Frank Messervy.

 

The Frontier battalion from the SDF was part of Gideon Force commanded by Major Orde Wingate. In January 1941, during the British and Commonwealth offensive into the AOI, the SDF took part in the successful invasion of Eritrea. During this invasion, the SDF contributed machine gun companies, howitzer batteries, and other forces (including some homemade armoured cars).

 

The SDF also played an active role during the Western Desert Campaign along the Sudanese border with ASI in North Africa. The SDF was used to supply the Free French and then the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) garrisons of the former Italian Fort Taj at the Kufra oasis in south-eastern Libya. In March 1941, French and LRDG forces had wrested control of the fort from the Italians during the Battle of Kufra.

 

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.