De Wet Medal

The De Wet Medal is a military long service medal which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1987. It was awarded to members of the Commandos, the rural defence component of the South African Defence Force, for ten years of efficient service and good conduct.[1]

De Wet Medal
Awarded by the State President and, from 1994, the President
Country  South Africa
TypeMilitary long service medal
EligibilityMembers of the Commandos
Awarded forTen years loyal service and good conduct
StatusDiscontinued in 2003
Statistics
Established1987
First awarded1991
SADF pre-1994 & SANDF post-2002 orders of wear
Next (higher)
SADF precedence:
SANDF precedence:
Next (lower)
SADF succession:
SANDF succession:

Ribbon bar

The South African military

The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912 and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1958. On 27 April 1994, it was integrated with six other independent forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).[1][2][3]

Institution

The De Wet Medal was instituted by the State President in 1987. It was named after Second Boer War General Christiaan de Wet.[2][4]

Award criteria

The De Wet Medal was instituted in 1987. It was awarded to members of the Commandos, the rural defence component of the South African Defence Force, for ten years of efficient service.[1]

Order of wear
Main article: South African military decorations order of wear § Order of wear

The position of the De Wet Medal in the official order of precedence was revised twice, to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first upon the integration into the South African National Defence Force in 1994 and again upon the institution of a new set of awards in 2003.[5]

South African Defence Force until 26 April 1994

South African National Defence Force from 27 April 1994

The position of the De Wet Medal in the order of precedence remained unchanged, as it was on 27 April 1994, when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted in April 1996 for the two former non-statutory forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and again when a new series of military decorations and medals was instituted in South Africa on 27 April 2003.[5][6]

Description
Obverse

The De Wet Medal is a disk struck in bronze, 38 millimetres in diameter and 3 millimetres thick, depicting Second Boer War General Christiaan de Wet on horseback, surrounded by a wreath of proteas and inscribed "MEDALJE ~ DE WET ~ MEDAL".[2]

Reverse

The reverse has the pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms.

Ribbons

The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide, with a 4 millimetres wide green band, a 2 millimetres wide white band and a 7 millimetres wide dark blue band, repeated in reverse order and separated by a 6 millimetres wide yellow band in the centre. The green and yellow colours have their origin in the ribbon colours of the three awards which were belatedly instituted in 1920, as retrospective awards for Boer veteran officers and men of the Second Boer War of 1899–1902, the Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst, the Medalje voor de Anglo-Boere Oorlog and the Lint voor Verwonding. For these three awards, these two colours had been gazetted as green and orange, but the orange appeared as yellow on the actual ribbons.

Discontinuation

Conferment of the medal was discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003.[3][7]

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References
  1. South African Medal Website - SA Defence Force : 1975-2003 (Accessed 30 April 2015)
  2. South African Medal Website - SA Defence Force : 1952-1975 (Accessed 30 April 2015)
  3. Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 457, no. 25213, Pretoria, 25 July 2003
  4. Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, OCLC 72827981
  5. Republic of South Africa Government Gazette no. 15093, Pretoria, 3 September 1993
  6. Republic of South Africa Government Gazette no. 26778, Pretoria, 17 September 2004
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