IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 141228 accession number: CM.1134-2009 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Monday 15 January 2024 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: Numerous actions in the British-controlled parts of Africa were felt to merit the award of a medal, but not a distinct one for every action. The Africa General Service Medal replaced the East and West Africa Medal which had previously been awarded for service in this theatre. Bars were awarded for a variety of small campaigns, sometimes only one expedition and sometimes rather more complex operations. The repeated uprisings in what is now Somalia led by Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, whom the British called `the Mad Mullah', were perceived as threats not just by the British Empire, but Italy and the Ethiopian Empire also. Operations were begun against Sayyid Mohammed and his army of so-called Dervishes in 1901 by forces of all three states, with only scant success. A series of three campaigns between 1902 and 1904 were similarly inconclusive until the Dervish army were heavily defeated at the Battle of Jidballi in January 1904. After this Sayyid Mohammed's considerable power was temporarily confined to a smaller area, but he remained an irreducible and expanding opposition to British and Ethiopian rules until his death by influenza in 1921. This medal was awarded to British troops who fought at Jidballi, which naturally also entitled them to the bar for the wider campaign. It was awarded to Private C. Summerbell of the 1st Hampshire Regiment. Lester Watson purchased it from the London dealers Spink on 12 November 1924. title: Africa General Service Medal NOTES ----- type: history note value: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt Spink 12 Nov 1924 LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Coins and Medals collection: Lester Watson Collection creditline: Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009 STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141228 TECHNIQUES ---------- struck CATEGORIES ------ category: medal DATING ------ creation date: 1904 - 1904 creation date earliest: 1904 creation date latest: 1904 CREATORS -------- maker: London maker: Edward VII (1901-10) maker: Saulles, George W. de maker: Edwardvs VII rex imperator DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Diameter units: mm value: 36.3 dimension: Weight units: g value: 40.85 CITATIONS -------- British Battles and Medals 7th edn British and other Campaign and Gallantry Medals From the Collection of Lester Watson (d. 1959) --- IMAGES surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0017_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 136 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0017_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 136 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0017_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 136 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0017_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 136 pixels surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0017_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 133 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0017_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 133 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0017_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 133 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0017_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 133 pixels