Around 2000 of these curious bronze stars were issued to British & colonial troops engaged in suppressing the 'tyrannical' King Prempeh. Prempeh was hardly a tyrant, his accession to the throne, the Golden Stool, being achieved with British support following the death of the two previous Kings and a minor civil war. Prempeh, however, was then forced to accept the Ashanti kingdom becoming a British administered colony - a situation he was far from content with. Not prepared to parley with the local colonial government, he went as far as to send his envoys to Britain to plead his case!
The British reacted in typical colonial style by sending a battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment and a mixed bag of other units collectively known as the 'Special Service Corps' under the overall command of Colonel Francis Scott. The force advanced on Kumassi in December 1895 and a month later the city was taken without a shot being fired. Prempeh was duly removed from power and exiled in the Seychelles, whilst the British installed a 'Resident'.
The situation was far from remedied and further trouble erupted in the former kingdom four years later. Issued un-named, the Colonel of the West Yorks. had medals to his regiment unofficially engraved and some can be found privately engraved to the other units that were present.
The British reacted in typical colonial style by sending a battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment and a mixed bag of other units collectively known as the 'Special Service Corps' under the overall command of Colonel Francis Scott. The force advanced on Kumassi in December 1895 and a month later the city was taken without a shot being fired. Prempeh was duly removed from power and exiled in the Seychelles, whilst the British installed a 'Resident'.
The situation was far from remedied and further trouble erupted in the former kingdom four years later. Issued un-named, the Colonel of the West Yorks. had medals to his regiment unofficially engraved and some can be found privately engraved to the other units that were present.
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