Colonial Service Medal |
Obverse of the Colonial
Service Medal
with Venezuela Clasp
Photo © Heiko Grusdat |
Reverse of the Colonial
Service Medal
Photo © Captain
George Albert
Miniature Bar with the
Colonial Medal
fourth from left
Photo © JW Collection |
Colonial Medal Ribbon with
Three Clasps
Photo by C Dale
from the Imperial War Museum Collection
Clasp for the Maji-Maji
Rebellion
in East Africa 1905/07
Photo © Peter Klein |
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| The Colonial
Service Medal ("Kolonialdenkmünze") was instituted by
Kaiser Wilhelm II in June 1912 and was retrospectively
awarded to all German combatants (from the army, navy,
Schutztruppe and Polizeitruppe) who had served in colonial
and overseas campaigns (excepting the Boxer and Herero
campaigns which already had their own awards). There was no
non-combatants version of the Colonial Service Medal.
The ribbon was white with a
vertical black stripe on either side and four thinner
vertical red stripes in the centre. This ribbon is shown
folded out double as was often worn on parade. The
medal itself (not shown here) was a brass disc with a
profile view of the Kaiser on the obverse and the motto "DEN
TAPFEREN SIEGREICHEN FÜR DEUTSCHLANDS ERHE" (roughly
translated as "The brave victors for Germany's honour")
surrounded by laurel leaves and topped with the imperial
crown. Brass clasps were authorised for additional
purchase with the medal for specific campaigns such as
"SAMOA 1888" (for the Second Samoan Civil War and the Battle
of Vailele). and "OST-AFRIKA 1905/07" (for the
Maji-Maji Rebellion).
The photograph on the left
shows a Colonial Service Medal with the clasp for "VENEZUELA
1902/03". This was a clasp awarded to crews of the German
naval ships (including SMS Panther, SMS Vineta, SMS Falke,
SMS Sperber, SMS Stosch, SMS Charlotte and SMS Gazelle) that
took part in the blockade, bombardment and occupation of
Venezuelan ports and shipping between December 1902 and
February 1903.
Recommended External
Link -
BNET- The Venezuelan Crises of 1902
The photograph on the top right shows a Colonial Service
Medal ribbon with three clasps- "KAMERUN 1884" (for
the Yos Rebellion),
"KAMERUN 1891" (for
the Abo Rebellion) and
"PONAPE 1910/11" (for
the Sokehs Rebellion in German New Guinea). This combination
of clasps make it most likely that the original owner was in
the imperial navy.
Recommended External Links -
Traditionsverband
Colonial Service Medal
and its
Campaign Bars and
MedalNet Colonial Medal |
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Oberstleutnant Kurt Freiherr
von Schleinitz
of the East African Schutztruppe c1912
Von Schleinitz was the commander of the East African
Schutztruppe from 1907 until April 1914. He wears a
Schutztruppe 1897 grey home uniform with an impressive medal
bar starting with the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle fourth
class with swords and crown, the Prussian Crown Order third
class, the Prussian Officers Long Service Award, the
Colonial Service Medal with a clasp for the Maji-Maji
Rebellion reading "Deutsch OstAfrika 1905/07", the Prussian
Wilhelm I Centenary Medal, the Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military
Merit Cross, second class (Schleinitz had previously served
in the 89th Mecklenburg Grenadier Regiment), the Baden
Zähringer Lion first class knights cross with swords and the
Romanian Star Order knights cross.
Photo from
WikiCommons |
Naval Senior NCO,
c1914
He wears the dark blue
naval dress jacket ("Affenjacke") with the sleeve anchor and
double cuff lace of a senior NCO ("Deckoffizier"). His
headdress is the Deckoffizier's dark blue peaked cap. On his
breast he wears the Prussian Long Service Award in first
class and the Colonial Service Medal with an unidentified
clasp.
Photo © Karsten
Herzogenrath
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Prussian Army
Feldwebel-Leutnant
c1916
He wears the German army field grey 1915 tunic with a
Prussian Pickelhaube with the FWR monogram on the eagle's
breast. Note the Feldwebel's collar lace and lace and the
Leutnant's shoulder straps. His medal bar shows the Prussian
Iron Cross second class, the Prussian Other Ranks Long
Service Award first class, Colonial Service Medal with an
unidentified clasp, the Prussian Landwehr Long Service Award
and the South West Africa Campaign Medal with two
unidentified clasps. This is a curious order of seniority to
wear the medals in. Usually the two long service awards
would be ahead of the campaign awards in this period.
Photo © Karsten
Herzogenrath
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Examples of Medal Bars with the Colonial Service Medal
See more on the
Medal Bars Page |
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Bar of a Veteran of a Colonial Campaign
without a clasp on his medal
Photo © Captain George Albert |
Bar of a Veteran of the Maji-Maji Rebellion
with the East Africa 1905-07 Clasp
Photo ©
Peter Klein |
Bar of a Veteran of a Togo Campaign
with the Togo 1894-95 clasp
Photo © Captain George Albert |
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Bar of a Naval Veteran
with the Venezuela
Clasp
Photo © Captain George Albert |
Bar
of a Naval Veteran
with the Samoa
Clasp
Photo © Captain George Albert |
Bar of a
Cameroon Schutztruppe Veteran
with two
Cameroon Clasps
Photo © Heiko Grusdat |
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