France Colonial and Overseas medal

[Veteran]

and the backs with the order changed...

Chris

The comparative series of MOM you put up is very enlightening. Thank you for taking the trouble to post it to the community's benefit. I am truly happy you found a good M?daille d'Outre-Mer. As I wrote in a previous message, they look just as good as the M?daille coloniale, and this award is really the one you earned. It will look aged when it will HAVE aged. But that is the one I would wear if I were in your shoes.

You have a worthy set of well earned awards. No use "improving them" by pretense. Remember, one mistake makes the whole set look fishy.

Incidentally, I had my own CC inscribed in the back, with rank and serial number. It does not show up much now that patina has done its job, but it's there. If I were to have it done again, I would have the naming blackened.

Keep us posted with your project.

Best regards

Veteran

[Ulsterman]

Yes

http://www.defense.gouv.fr/sites/ema/enjeu...erieures/tchad/

...and as of Friday-that is a very big YES! Apparently more French troops are being flown in tosecure a few base areas while the rebels and remaining government forces have at it.

[Ulsterman]

This is a tuna-fish can manufactured one. It's light and somewhat crude and screams Vichy made...maybe.

Rick grabbed me and said:"look at this". We thought it might be worthy of discussion. The coast of Somalia? When was that campaign?

The back is unusual too.

Edited February 4, 2008 by Ulsterman

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Gents,

a very interesting thread, my two:

Right hand one has a replacement modern ribbon.

Kevin in Deva.

[Kev in Deva]

The Rear.

Kevin in Deva.

[Kev in Deva]

The bars have sliders to the rear,

the "INDOCHINE having a thicker slider than "EXTREME ORIENT"

Kevin in Deva

[Kev in Deva]

Can somebody Identify which variants and time period?

Kevin in Deva

[Kev in Deva]

The rears in close up!

Kevin in Deva.

[Bernhard H.Holst]

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_02_2008/post-950-1202138083.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_02_2008/post-950-1202138108.jpg

Can somebody Identify which variants and time period?

Kevin in Deva

Hello Kevin.

Medaille Coloniale awarded in 1952 has a wide slider while a second privately purchased later ( time frame ??) has a narrow one . Unfortunately I am unable to post pictures.

Bernhard H. Holst

[Bernhard H.Holst]

This is a tuna-fish can manufactured one. It's light and somewhat crude and screams Vichy made...maybe.

Rick grabbed me and said:"look at this". We thought it might be worthy of discussion. The coast of Somalia? When was that campaign?

The back is unusual too.

Hello Ulsterman.

If memory serves me right present day Somalia at one time was controlled by Great Britain, Italy and France. This may explain the Somalia bar.

Bernhard H. Holst

[Hendrik]

Can somebody Identify which variants and time period?

Hello Gents,

I think Kev's Colonial Medal is one manufactured by the firm of Delande : 5 chevrons on the shoulder piece of the harness. Some of these have the word "metal" on the reverse of the suspension ...

The Overseas Medal is IMHO of Mourgeon manufacture.

As to the Somali Coast bar : once the French surrendered in 1940, the British sought to neutralize the Somali coast. Though the local population was predominantly pro-British, it wasn't in favour of the Free French and chose to be loyal to the Vichy government. A fairly successful blockade was put in place but the governor and troops present refused invitations to join the Free French.

The Vichy government created the bar on 13 September 1941 for those that were in the region for 6 months between 25 June 1940 and "a later date".

Cheers,

Hendrik

[Ulsterman]

Thanks Hendrik.

I had a quick snout round your web site and a few secondary "WW2 in Africa" books and the blockade is for what is today called Djibouti -which will bring back many happy, hot memories for Chris B. I'm certain.

It appears as if the medal was locally (well, African anyway) tuna-can style made as it's lighter than most, but despite the apparent battering, is quite a nice war time piece.

A nice little memorial to a forgotten "campaign": far, far away and a long time ago'.

Thanks to RickR for showing it to me!

By the way-your web site is great!

Edited February 5, 2008 by Ulsterman

[Veteran]

Hendrick is quite right about this clasp. It was issued by the Vichy Government to military and civilian personnel who maintainied the colony called "C?te fran?aise des Somalis" during the blocade the British put up against them in 1940-41. Six months presence in the colony after 25 June 1940 were the conditinon to be met.

To be complete, a first clasp was decided with the caption "C?te des Somalis" from September 1941 until January 1942 when the caption was changed to "1940 C?te des Somalis 1941". The first of these had previously been issued in 1934-1936 to personnel who took part in local actions.

Since these clasps were issued for "hostile conduct" against the Allies, but mostly by rejection of the Free French, their wear was forbiden by a decision taken by the French Committee of National Liberation in Algiers on January 7 1944 (vide : HAAS, J. "La m?daille coloniale". 1997)

Communications with metropolitan France were practically non existent during most of the time these clasps were supposed to be worn; therefore chances are that very few ever were worn at all, except possibly locally made ones, or available remaining stocks of the 1934-36 issues of the clasp.

I remember buying one ( C?te des Somalis ) in the '60s from one of the Paris suppliers of orders and decorations. They were quite scarce at the time.

Regards

Veteran

Edited February 5, 2008 by Veteran

[Vatjan]

I have a pic taken in 1919 of a Belgian soldier wearing a Belgian War Cross, a French colonial medal with 2 clasps and a French Maroc medal.

I suppose he was a legionnaire before the war.

Moreover I suppose one of his colonial clasps would be a Maroc clasp.

Could anyone make an educated guess as to what the 2nd clasp would be?

Thanks

Jan

Edited February 5, 2008 by Vatjan

[Hendrik]

Hello Jan,

The "Maroc 1925" and "Maroc 1925-26" spring to mind ... These replaced the original "Maroc" bar for a short time. Assuming, of course, the man remained in the area.

Cheers,

Hendrik

[Vatjan]

Hello Jan,

The "Maroc 1925" and "Maroc 1925-26" spring to mind ... These replaced the original "Maroc" bar for a short time. Assuming, of course, the man remained in the area.

Cheers,

Hendrik

Thanks for your answer Hendrik, only one slight problem the pic was taken in 1919

Edited February 5, 2008 by Vatjan

[Ulsterman]

Thanks for your answer Hendrik, only one slight problemm the pic was taken in 1919

vatjan-have you seen Hendriks' site?

http://users.skynet.be/hendrik/eng/FColonialintro.html

Edited February 5, 2008 by Ulsterman

[Vatjan]

Yes, I have, but I'm still confused, too much information to absorb all at once

Edited February 5, 2008 by Vatjan

[Vatjan]

Here is the pic

[Vatjan]

Detail

[Ed_Haynes]

Here are a few of mine. Can add details as desired. Isn't it wonderful (= diverse = insane) when all you have to do is find a manufacturer selling the gongs?

[Ed_Haynes]

And overseas medals.

There are more, somewhere, . . . .

[Hendrik]

the pic was taken in 1919

Oops, I somewhat overlooked that ! It's guesswork, no telling which one it is, but I think the most likely candidate is to be found among these : Sahara, Tchad, Afrique or Afrique Occidentale Fran?aise ... but it may still well be another one.

Cheers,

Hendrik

[Chris Boonzaier]

2 nice early ones... one has had the catch repaired...

[Chris Boonzaier]

At what point did the bars change from silver to gold colour?

Thnaks

Chris