British South Africa Company Medal

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British South Africa Company Medal
Awarded by British South Africa Company
Type	Medal
Eligibility	First Matabele War, Second Matabele War, and the Pioneer Column
Awarded for	Service in the Matabele Wars
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
Statistics
Established	1896, 1897, 1927

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.

Contents 1 Description 2 Clasps 3 Notable Recipients 4 References

[edit] 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.

[edit] Clasps

Four were issued:

1. Matabeleland 1893 (No clap issued to those who served exclusively in the First Matabele War)
2. Rhodesia 1896 (No clap issued to those who served exclusively in the first year of the Second Matabele War)
3. Mashonaland 1897
4. Mashonaland 1890

[edit] Notable Recipients

• Robert Baden-Powell - service in: Rhodesia (1896)^[1]
• Frederick Russell Burnham - service in: Matabeleland (1893) ; Rhodesia (1896)^[2]
• Frederick Selous - service in: Mashonaland (1890) ; Matabeleland (1893) ; Rhodesia (1896)^[3]

[edit] References

• The Guide to British War Medals
• Pine Tree Web