Independence Medals

[Tony Farrell]

"Hey you, Johnny Foreigner - lazing about underneath the Mango tree! Had enough of being lorded over by those condascending Brits, with their Pimms, Polo & Cream Teas? Then you need Independence. That's right - free to run your lump of rock as you wish - just pop in and stuff us at cricket & rugby once in a while!"

Now here's a family of medals that rarely get an airing - those issued to dignitaries, hangers-on, associated sycophants and anyone else who got roped in to the celebrations of withdrawl from Empire. Information is somewhat scant on these issues and they are not that common, possibly due to the small number of strikings, and they are seldom found in medal groups.

Issues for Fiji, Sierra Leone, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Jamaica, Vanuatu, Uganda, Malawi, Guyana; St. Christopher, Nevis & Anguilla; Solomon Islands, Gilbert Islands, Ellis Islands and Zimbabwe can be found. The Zimbabwe issues were not authorised by the Crown, as (then) Rhodesia was technically already independent of the UK due to Ian Smith's UDI. Unlike other issues, the ones for Zimbabwe seem more prolific in numbers and are of rather poor quality.

Some countries appear to have minted seperate anniversary issues, such as the Solomans and Papua New Guinea. Whilst these countries are no longer Crown Dependencies, they are still part of the Commonwealth - and thus have Auntie Betty's turnip on the medals - which is nice. Hong Kong did not merit the minting of an issue due to the fact that it was not becoming independent - merely being handed back to Johnny Chink. Damn shame on the gong front, what?

So I shall start the ball rolling with a rather pretty issue to the Solomon Islands, which slipped the surly bonds of colonialism in 1978.

[Tony Farrell]

Papua New Guinea 10th Anniversary

Whilst not an Independence Medal as such - rather an anniversary medal - this issue (commemorating PNG's tenth birthday) is similar to its 1975 Independence predecessor. The reverse has revised dates and the obverse bears the post-1977 effigy of Her Maj. The ribbon is slightly different also. Issued un-named, it is unknown how many of these medals were struck.

[Tony Farrell]

Malawi Independence Medal

6th July, 1964 was the day when Nyasaland became Malawi - and thus no longer a British colony. Lot of good it did 'em!

[David S]

Thanx for sharing

You're right . . . they rarely get an airing ! Pity

[Rick Research]

At least there seems to be some actual consistent TALENT over time involved in the designs for these...

indeed, given the recent dreck all over the Commonwealth, I wonder if these WERE designed by somebody at Spink's or whoever actually makes such awards now, rather than the DoD public housing planner "designer" dodos?

[Ed_Haynes]

Aggreed on their importance and the degree to which they have been understudied and underrecognised.

That MYB gives them all only a single composite meaningless entry tells us something (about MYB?), and Gordon is not much better (al least in the latest - last? - edition).

Strenouusly disagreeing on some of the "unreconstructed" political attitudes expressed here, though.

Some of my work on the Granddaddy of 'Em All, the Indian Indepoendence Medal 1947, suggests the contemporary tensions that surrounded these awards. The existence and even design of this one was very nearly a Commonwealth-Buster!

Ed Haynes

[Tony Farrell]

Shedding some light

Agreed on the MYB's [why you hate them so much?] stance on such trinkets. But then again, if nobody has bothered to expand on them, then I suspect it will stay like that until I (or anyone else for that matter) can convince them to include seperate images. I'm working on it right now.

It's unclear just who is responsible for minting these medals (Indo-Pakistan issues aside). The Solomons issue I have has Spinks' calling card on the pin brooch - although that could indicate that Spinks merely mounted the medal (as they do) rather than actually designing & striking them. I'm in the process of determining whether they did indeed manufacture them at present. I've also contacted the Royal Mint.... silence!

Personally, I aim to rectify the grey areas with these medals - as I think they deserve better. With such issues such as the Indian & Pakistani medals being quite numerous - and selling for beans, examples for (say) Vanuatu appear to be very rare indeed. The Papua New Guinea issue (1975) was issued to less than 200 members of the Australian armed forces - who were by far the largest bulk recipients. So it can only be imagined just how many of this particular issue were initially minted.

Even so, these medals do crop up from time to time and are very affordable. They make an attractive, if obscure addition to anyones' collection, even if they are (more often than not) overlooked. Anyone for cricket?

[Tony Farrell]

Zimbabwe Independence Medal

This issue was struck by the (then) new Zimbabwe government on the occasion of its transformation from the interim Zimbabwe/Rhodesia in 1980. Awarded in both silver & a bronze/gold wash, the medal is of particularly poor quality - especially when compared with its Commonwealth counterpart, the Rhodesia Medal.
Both medals were awarded to members of the Commonwealth monitoring force, although (for the UK contingent at least) only the Rhodesia Medal could be worn whilst in uniform. I have, however, seen the Zimbabwe issue mounted along with British medals for wear outside of uniform regulations on more than one occasion.

[Tony Farrell]

Zimbabwe issue

The reverse of the Zimbabwe issue features the ancient fortress city of Great Zimbabwe - from where the emerging (going backwards) nation took its name. It also features those two old 'commie' favourites - the AK47 & ploughshare. Unfortunately, Harare Bob's interests lay in the former implement rather than the latter.

[McCulloh]

Interesting...

Isn't that a guerrilla's duo there rather than a Rhodesian forces set? I've seen a few with the Rhodes faced MGS attached to the Independence gong for @$45-$50 and almost bought 'em.
And to think that Mugabe was once seen as the lesser of 2 evils.
If only he'd announced that he's developing chemical/biological weapons and recognizing Al Queda with an Embassy.
I see UNICEL/OXFAM is projecting 1 million dead of famine this year through the end of 2004-minimum.

[Tony Farrell]

Jeff, whilst all parties received the Zimbabwe Independence Medal, only members of the Commonwealth monitoring force were awarded the Rhodesia Medal. It is not a Rhodesian issue, rather a British minted medal.

Examples are scarce to say the least and command a high price. It is, however, an attractive design - as can be seen from the reverse:

[cazna]

Rhodesia/Zimbabwe Medal

Hi
The only examples of the Independence Medal I have seen are numbered.
Would anyone know if a Nominal Roll of recipients exists?
The Rhodesia medal to Australians is rarely seen. A Nominal Roll of the 180 or so (?) recipients is available.
I would estimate that a Rhodesia medal to an Australian would most likely come in a group and would sell for at least $4000 here.
Duncan

[Tony Farrell]

It is likely that there is some sort of medal roll for the Zimbabwe design-horror... somewhere. As that 'somewhere' is likely to be the central archives in Harare, and given the regime's lacklustre approach to co-operation with anyone from the outside world - especially a filthy British, white-skinned, colonial throwback like.. Australia, then I think your chances of obtaining any information from said authorities would be right up there with a vacation to Mars next summer.

[leigh kitchen]

I was told that the Commonweltah medal for the monitors was only authorised for wear on one day of the year (knew a copper who had onefor monitoring the elections)
A mate who's ex Rhodesian Light Infantry has the Zimbabwe Independance Medal (& MGS)- he refers to it as the runners up medal.

[Geof]

And here's a few more. This one from St Kitts and Nevis's coming out party




And the one for Uganda. Sorry for the blur, I was drunk when I took these