Kimberley Star

Kimberley Star
Awarded by the Mayor of Kimberley
Country Cape Colony
Type Campaign medal
Eligibility Defenders of Kimberley
Awarded for the Siege of Kimberley
Campaign Second Boer War
Status Unofficial
Statistics
Established 1900
Total awarded 5,000
Related Queen's South Africa Medal

Ribbon bar

The Kimberley Star is an unofficial private campaign medal that was instituted by the Mayor of Kimberley in 1900. The medal was awarded to all who took part in the defence of the diamond mining town during the four months in 1899 and 1900 that Kimberley was besieged by Boer Republican Forces during the Second Boer War.[1][2][3]

The Siege of Kimberley

The Second Boer War between the United Kingdom and the allied Boer Republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, broke out on 11 October 1899. In the first phase of the war, the Boer Republican Forces mounted pre-emptive strikes into British-held territories in Natal and the Cape Colony, and besieged the British garrisons at Ladysmith in Natal and at Mafeking and Kimberley in the Cape Colony. The siege of Kimberley began on 14 October 1899 and lasted four months until the town was relieved on 15 February 1900.[4]

Official military recognition for the defence and relief of Kimberley took the form of two clasps to the Queen's South Africa Medal, a British campaign medal that was awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, civilians employed in official capacity and war correspondents who served in the Second Boer War.[5]

Institution

In addition to the military honours and to also honour non-military townsfolk who took part in the defence of the town during the siege, Mayor of Kimberley H.A. Oliver instituted the Kimberley Star in 1900. The medal was awarded to all men who were engaged in the defence of Kimberley as well as to members of the British Forces in the Kimberley Garrison. These included, amongst others, the Kimberley Town Guard, the Kimberley Regiment, the De Beers Maxim Battery, the Cape Police, the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment and the Diamond Fields Artillery. Since it did not enjoy official status, the military recipients were not allowed to wear the medal in uniform.[2][3][7][8][9]

Description

The Kimberley Star was six-pointed, with a ball on each point and struck in silver, to fit into a 46 millimetres diameter circle. Two Kimberley Stars were struck in gold. The star is attached to the suspender by a ring that passes through an eyelet formed in the uppermost point-ball of the star. The suspension is in two parts, a decorated bar with an eyelet on the reverse for the ring to pass through and a plain bar at the top of the ribbon with a brooch-pin on the reverse.[2][3][10]

Obverse

The obverse has a central design of the Kimberley town shield, surrounded by a circlet inscribed "KIMBERLEY" at the top and "1899-1900" at the bottom.[2][3][10]

Reverse

The reverse is plain and is inscribed, in relief, "MAYOR'S SIEGE MEDAL 1900" in three lines, with the silver hallmark impressed at the top of the lowermost star point. The medals were awarded unnamed, although some were unofficially engraved with the name of the recipient.[2][3][7][10]

Ribbon

The ribbon is 25 millimetres (1 inch) wide with an 8 millimetres wide black band, a 3 millimetres wide red band, a 3 millimetres wide white band, a 3 millimetres wide dark blue band and an 8 millimetres wide yellow band. Various versions of the ribbon exist and on some the central white band is wider than the red and blue bands.[2][10]

Recipients

Approximately 5,000 Kimberley Stars were awarded, but there is no roll of recipients.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Johnson, Stanley Currie (1921). The Medal Collector; A Guide to Naval, Military, Air-force and Civil Medals and Ribbons. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited. (Access date 25 April 2015)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 The Medal Collector; A Guide to Naval, Military, Air-force and Civil Medals and Ribbons, p. 159 (Access date 25 April 2015)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 South African Medal Website - Unofficial Military Awards (Access date 27 April 2015)
  4. ↑ Pakenham, Thomas (1979). The Boer War. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-42742-4.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Queen's South Africa Medal 1899 - 1902 (Access date 13 March 2015)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 AngloBoerWar.com - Queen's South Africa Medal (Access date 13 March 2015)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Fitzwilliam Museum - Kimberley Star, awarded to Cpt. A, Ward, 1900 (Access date 25 April 2015)
  8. ↑ The Illustrated London News, 15 June 1901 - The Kimberley Medal
  9. ↑ AngloBoerWar.com - Kimberley Siege Account and Medal Roll (Access date 25 April 2015)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 AngloBoerWar.com - British and Colonial - Kimberley Star (Access date 25 April 2015)