East and West Africa Medal

The East and West Africa Medal, established in 1892, was a campaign medal awarded for minor campaigns that took place in East and West Africa between 1887 and 1900. A total of twenty one clasps were issued.

Awards of the medal covered punitive expeditions against local tribesmen, generally in response to attacks against Europeans or neighbouring tribes, or for operations to suppress slavery. Most medals were granted to personnel from either the Royal Navy, the West India Regiment or British led local forces, including locally recruited police. No units of the British Army were present, although a number of officers and non commissioned officers received the medal while seconded to local units. Recipients of the Benin 1897 clasp included three nursing sisters.

The obverse bears a left-facing portrait of Queen Victoria with the inscription "VICTORIA REGINA".The reverse has an image of British soldiers fighting Africans in dense jungle.