Medal
Introduced by the Finance Act of 23 July 1893, its implementing decree dated 6 March 1894 lists the military operations carried out by France in its colonies or protectorates (Algeria - Cochin - Gold Coast - Marquesas Islands - Nossi- Bé - New Caledonia - Senegal and Sudan - Society Islands - Tunisia). The scope of the decree was therefore a broad retroactive effect, since the first operations considered for the award of the Medal colonial dating back to 1827, at the very beginning of the conquest of Algeria.
Since then, numerous other regulations were made which amend or supplement the award of this medal. The most recent include the decree of June 6, 1962 which transformed the Médaille Coloniale to Médaille d'Outre-Mer.
The colonial medal is closely linked to the existence of the French colonial empire .
Article 4 of the Decree of 1894 establishes the design of the medal. The it is 30mm diameter in silver. On the obverse there is the helmeted effigy of the Republic with "République française" engraved above. On the reverse, a world map occupies the central field, resting on an anchor across a trophy of arms . The ribbon, is white and blue with vertical stripes. Its length can vary this from 35 to 37 mm.
The design of the medal is attributed to Capitaine de frégate Saulnier Pinellas, because the original award was for sailors. Its production had the distinction of being performed by the administration of the Paris Mint and a private company that was responsible for manufacturing the socket of the pendant ring leaves and clasps crimping indentations. The sets were to be delivered complete to the ministries of the Navy and War . The ribbon, the skewer assembly and assembly were also part of the supply.
The two departments then presented the medals to the recipients, with some delay as they were not always immediately available. The monopoly of the Paris Mint and the sluggishness of its administration thus created a boom for the private market, forcing the administration to allow the manufacture in "parallel" under the set forth specifications. Nevertheless, some marginal versions appeared.
In 1913, the Monnaie de Paris decided to fully bear the manufacture of the Colonial Medal. The second type sees its official medal redrawn and engraved by G. Lindauer. The engraving of Georges Lemaire is recessed so that the first official type, it was relief. The foliage becomes single-sided pendant ring and the sleeve is formed of two truncated cones. For a very short period Hinged clips are rounded instead of being indented. There were many contemporary manufacturers.
Spahis were light-cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the Arab and Berber populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The modern French Army retains one regiment of Spahis as an armoured unit, with personnel now recruited in mainland France. Senegal also maintains a mounted unit with spahi origins as a presidential escort: the Red Guard.
A tirailleur, in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "tirailleur" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French colonial territories during the 19th and 20th centuries, or for metropolitan units serving in a light infantry role.
The individual member states of the African Union (AU) coordinate foreign policy through this agency, in addition to conducting their own international relations on a state-by-state basis. The AU represents the interests of African peoples at large in intergovernmental organizations (IGO's); for instance, it is a permanent observer at the United Nations' General Assembly.
Bernard Saint-Hillier was a French general.
The French commemorative medal is a French decoration intended to recognize civilians and soldiers who took part in specific missions ordered by the French government carried out outside of French national territory after 1 March 1991. It was established by decree 95-1098 on 9 October 1995 on the initiative of the then Defence Minister, François Léotard.
The Overseas Medal is a commemorative or campaign medal issued to members of the French Armed Forces and other nations in assistance to French troops for participating in operations outside national territory. It replaced the French Colonial Medal by decree on 6 June 1962.
The Cross for Military Valour is a military decoration of France. It recognizes an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations which are not subject to the award of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures. The Cross for Military Valour is usually awarded for security or peacekeeping operations, always outside the French territory.
The Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal was awarded to all the French soldiers and sailors who took part in the battles of the Tonkin campaign and the Sino-French War between 1883 and 1885. The medal, decreed by a law of 6 September 1885, was minted at the Monnaie de Paris and distributed shortly before the Bastille Day parade on 14 July 1886 to around 65,000 soldiers and sailors. The medal was later awarded to participants in a number of earlier and later campaigns in Indochina, bringing the total number of recipients to 97,300.
The Indochina Campaign commemorative medal was a French military decoration established on 1 August 1953 by decree 53-722 to recognize participation in the Indochina War by the members of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps, regular and reserve.
The Morocco commemorative medal (1909) was a French military campaign medal. It was established by the law of 22 July 1909 for award to soldiers participating in the Second Franco-Moroccan War under the command of general Hubert Lyautey.
The Medal of the Nation's Gratitude is a French state decoration established on 12 April 2002 by decree 2002-511 and awarded to civilians, veterans of civil or military service, and to members of the French armed forces previously awarded the "Title of the Nation's Gratitude", a governmental scroll certifying to honorable service abroad.
The Honour medal of the National Police is the highest award of the French National Police, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior.
The Commemorative medal of the 1860 China Expedition was a military award of the Second French Empire to reward soldiers and sailors who participated in the Anglo-French expedition to China during the Second Opium War. It was created by imperial decree on 23 January 1861, by Napoleon III.
The North Africa Medal was a French commemorative medal established on 29 April 1997 by French President Jacques Chirac via decree 97-424, following an initiative of Pierre Pasquini, Minister for veterans' affairs and victims of war who expressed "the importance that an exceptional decoration be established for those who had fought in North Africa". Already in 1996, Minister Pasquini, President Chirac and Prime Minister Alain Juppé had requested that the existing "Title of the Nation's Gratitude" in the form of an official scroll already awarded to soldiers and civilians having served in North Africa between 1952 and 1962, finally be linked to the award of a specific medal.
The 1939–1945 Commemorative war medal is a commemorative medal of France established on 21 May 1946 to recognize individual participation in the Second World War.
The Commemorative Medal for Security Operations and the Maintenance of Order is a French commemorative medal established in the late 1950s for award to members of the French armed forces and French civil servants under military authority for service in French North Africa during the hectic years that would become the end of French colonialism in the region.
The Orient campaign medal was a French military medal bestowed for participation in the battles against the Central Powers by the Allied Eastern Army between 1915 and 1918.
The Dardanelles campaign medal was a French military medal bestowed for participation in the Battle of the Dardanelles, also known as the Gallipoli campaign against the Central Powers by the Corps expéditionnaire d'Orient supported by the Royal Navy and French Navy between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916.
The Honour medal of railroads is a state decoration bestowed by the French Republic in the form of an honour medal for work. It was originally meant to reward, depending on the quality and length of time calculated in calendar years, the services rendered by French agents and labourers and to nationals of the French Union or protectorates, in service with the railroads. The Honour medal of railroads was created by decree on 19 August 1913 as a reward for thirty years of service. Since then, many modifications were instituted by consecutive decrees amending the original text.
Raymond Delange was a French Army general. He was a veteran of World War I, World War II and the Algerian War. He was made a Companion of the Liberation for his World War II service.
France 
