THE AFRICA SERVICE MEDAL
The award of this silver medal was approved by His Majesty King George VI on the 16th of November 1943 and was gazetted in the South African Union Government’s Gazette No. 3407, dated the 27th of October 1944.
The qualifications for the medal were as follows:
1. The signing of the Africa Oath acknowledging liability for service with the Union Defence Forces anywhere in Africa, and/or
2. The signing of the General Service Oath acknowledging liability for service with the Union Defence Forces in any theatre of war.
The following also qualified:
1. Personnel of the Union Defence Forces who served in a full- or part-time capacity.
2. Personnel of other uniformed services, male or female, who performed full-time service with their respective units. These services included membership in the South African Police, Essential Services Protection Corps, South African Military Nursing Services, V.A.D. officers and members, and women’s services. In case of full-time service the qualifying period was 30 days. The part-time qualifying period was 18 hours of non-continuous training.
SOURCE:
GORDON, L.L. British Battles and Medals. Spink & Son, Ltd., London, 1971.