Vol. 66, No. 1 (January-February 2015) 29 Below the orders, medals exist for lower levels of achievement. For the military, there is the Honorary Medal of Combat (Figure 10) and for civilians the Honorary Medal of Labor. Both of these awards were established in 1940. Civilian gallantry (mainly lifesaving) is rewarded with the Medal of Selflesness (created in 1959). Much of the Mongolian population is still rural and engaged in a pastoral nomadic lifestyle of herding rather than settled agriculture. Outstanding achievement in herding is rewarded with the Best Herder Badge, one of the most emblematic and well known of the Mongolian awards (Figure 11). Many of these orders and medals have been awarded to foreign (mainly Soviet) recipients. For example, the famous Soviet military leader Georgy Zhukov received the Sukhbaatar Order three times. CAMPAIGN MEDALS While modern Mongolia maintained a large military force, proportionate to the total population, there were few military deployments. The most important services came during World War II. From May to September 1939, combined Mongolian and Soviet forces confronted a large Japanese force in the area of the river Khaklin Gol in eastern Mongolia. The Japanese suffered a major defeat which, many historians argue, caused them to reconsider their war planning which until then had focused on a thrust northwards and to develop new plans that reset their direction of conquest toward the south. The battles at Khalkin Gol became the most important and emblematic conflict in Mongolian military history and its anniversary is still celebrated and commemorated with medals (though, obviously, the surviving veterans grow fewer each year). In 1940, the Khalkhin Gol Medal (Figure 12) was created for Mongolian and Soviet servicemen who served in that battle. Victory in World War II was rewarded with a victory medal (sometimes referred to by the obverse legend “We Won” (Figure 13). More recent Mongolian military service in various overseas and United Nations deployments have been commemorated by a Peacekeeping Medal, established in 2004. SERVICE MEDALS A range of other medals exists for other kinds of service. For example, there is a Medal for International Friendship; a medal for specific international services in the military sphere, the Medal of Brotherhood in Arms (Figure 14); and a medal for the extension of cultivation, the Medal “Glory of the Virgin Land Cultivators.” A range of badges reward and commemorate other miscellaneous service. Figure 11: The Best Herder Badge. Figure 12: The Khalkhin Gol Medal. Figure 13: The Medal for Victory in World War II.
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Vol. 66, No. 1 (January-February 2015) 29
Below the orders, medals exist for lower levels of achievement. For the military, there is the Honorary Medal of Combat (Figure 10) and for civilians the Honorary Medal of Labor. Both of these awards were established in 1940. Civilian gallantry (mainly lifesaving) is rewarded with the Medal of Selflesness (created in 1959).
Much of the Mongolian population is still rural and engaged in a pastoral nomadic lifestyle of herding rather than settled agriculture. Outstanding achievement in herding is rewarded with the Best Herder Badge, one of the most emblematic and well known of the Mongolian awards (Figure 11).
Many of these orders and medals have been awarded to foreign (mainly Soviet) recipients. For example, the famous Soviet military leader Georgy Zhukov received the Sukhbaatar Order three times.
CAMPAIGN MEDALS
While modern Mongolia maintained a large military force, proportionate to the total population, there were few military deployments. The most important services came during World War II. From May to September 1939, combined Mongolian and Soviet forces confronted a large Japanese force in the area of the river Khaklin Gol in eastern Mongolia. The Japanese suffered a major defeat which, many historians argue, caused them to reconsider their war planning which until then had focused on a thrust northwards and to develop new plans that reset their direction of conquest toward the south. The battles at Khalkin Gol became the most important and emblematic conflict in Mongolian military history and its anniversary is still celebrated and commemorated with medals
(though, obviously, the surviving veterans grow fewer each year). In 1940, the Khalkhin Gol Medal (Figure 12) was created for Mongolian and Soviet servicemen who served in that battle. Victory in World War II was rewarded with a victory medal (sometimes referred to by the obverse legend “We Won” (Figure 13). More recent Mongolian military service in various overseas and United Nations deployments have been commemorated by a Peacekeeping Medal, established in 2004.
SERVICE MEDALS
A range of other medals exists for other kinds of service. For example, there is a Medal for International Friendship; a medal for specific international services in the military sphere, the Medal of Brotherhood in Arms (Figure 14); and a medal for the extension of cultivation, the Medal “Glory of the Virgin Land Cultivators.” A range of badges reward and commemorate other miscellaneous service.
Figure 11: The Best Herder Badge.
Figure 12: The Khalkhin Gol Medal.
Figure 13: The Medal for Victory in World War II.
30 JOMSA
COMMEMORATIVE MEDALS
Probably the largest category of medals and badges commemorate important events in the history of the Mongolian State. Such awards not only parallel but surpass the flock of similar Soviet medals. Medals and badges exist to commemorate the foundation of the Mongolian People’s Republic in 1921, with awards for the 15th, 25th, 35th, 40th (Figure 15), 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, and 90th anniversaries. The Battle of Khalkin Gol has also been commemorated, with awards for the 20th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 45th, 50th, 55th, and 70th anniversary being recorded (I assume there is something for the 60th anniversary, but I have not been able to confirm it). A medal exists for the 30th Anniversary of the Victory over
Figure 14: The Medal of Brotherhood in Arms.
Figure 15: The Medal to Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Foundation of the
Mongolian People’s Republic.
Japan (Figure 16). The creation of the Mongolian People’s Army in 1921 has been commemorated at its 40th, 50th, 60th (Figure 17) and 70th anniversaries and similar awards exist commemorating the anniversaries of the police, state security, special committee of state security, air force, border guards, state prosecution organization, and fire brigades.
Urnukh, Khuujii. The Orders and Medals of the Mongolian People’s Republic (1924-1992. Ulaanbaatar: UBPrint LLC, 2010.
Figure 16: The Medal for the 30th Anniversary of Victory over Japan.
Figure 17: The Medal for the 60th Anniversary of the Army.
Vol. 66, No. 1 (January-February 2015) 31
In the second half of the 19th century a small group of European explorers with names like Pinto, Livingston, Stanley, and Rhodes would explore, catalogue and lead the way to colonizing the last unknown lands of Africa and the world. Serpa Pinto, a Portuguese Army officer, explorer and colonial administrator, would conduct scientific expeditions into “unknown Africa” between Angola and Mozambique and would become Portugal’s new symbol for exploration, following a tradition spanning hundreds of years before him. The nations of Europe and Portugal would all honor his first west to east crossing and charting of Africa by bestowing on him numerous awards, medals, and orders.
Serpa Pinto was born in Poldaras Castle in Cinfaes, Portugal on April 10, 1846 and at age ten he entered the Colegio Militar. From July 11, 1864 until April, 1877 he served in various military commands in Portugal and Africa seeing combat in the lower Zambezi and rising to the rank of Major. It was Major Serpa Pinto’s desire to conduct a scientific expedition into Africa between the Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique mapping and cataloguing rivers, mountains, animals, plants, people, and the stars. His expedition would be scientific to gain knowledge not a travel log which was the fad of the day. From 1876 to 1877 Serpa Pinto studied astronomy, the geography of known Africa, and the use of the latest scientific equipment for recording data while at the same time trying to persuade the Minister of the Colonies and Marine to approve an expedition. Government approval came on May 25, 1877 and Serpa Pinto would be joined by Navy Captain Capello and Lieutenant Roberto Ivens. The mission would be to map the Congo and Zambesi river basins with Parliament authorizing an expenditure equivalent to $33,000 in today’s funds.1
The expedition led by Serpa Pinto left Bihe, Angola on November 12, 1877. Captain Capello and Lieutenant Ivens would wait to gather more porters and then rejoin Serpa Pinto. Interestingly, Captain Capello and Lieutenant Ivens decided that they would explore the eastern unknown interior of Angola to the northeast thus abandoning Serpa Pinto’s expedition. Serpa Pinto became aware of their actions in a letter that he received days later.
Serpa Pinto faced and overcame the dangers of man- eating animals, cobras, hostile tribal chiefs, starvation,
dehydration, mutinous porters, tribal wars, raging rivers, and continual personal attacks of debilitating fevers and illnesses. Faced with all of these obstacles Serpa Pinto by force of will continued the expedition making scientific observations on the subjects of geography, geology, meteorology, zoology, astronomy, botany, and sociology as the expedition moved ever eastward across Africa. Serpa Pinto maintained daily measurements in a number of logs which were accompanied by drawings of what he observed. All of the data and drawings in Serpa Pinto’s logs would later be used by him in his travels through Brazil and Europe when he presented his findings and vast amounts of new knowledge to fellow scientists, geographical society members, and the public. Further, a two volume set of books titled How I Crossed Africa would be written by Serpa Pinto and printed in London in 1881. The books were printed in English and two popular editions were produced. Importantly, his work is considered a classic and was reprinted as recently as 2012 by Forgotten Books. King D. Carlos I of Portugal, based on Serpa Pinto’s expedition, laid claim to all previously unknown interior lands from Angola to Mozambique. The arduous journey across Africa that covered 3,400 miles and lasted from November 12, 1877 to March 19, 1879 was over.2 Serpa Pinto was the first to travel from Africa’s western Atlantic coast to its eastern Indian Ocean coast, which was an incredible feat. Upon his return to Lisbon, Serpa Pinto began a lecture tour to inform and educate everyone about his African expedition. The Occident, The Illustrated Magazine of Portugal, volume II, pages 97-104 (July 1, 1879) carried a complete summary of the presentation of an award to Serpa Pinto by King D. Luis I with an image of the award ceremony for Serpa Pinto (Figure 1). The article also contains an illustration of Pinto (Figure 2) and the medal he received. The presentation took place on June 16, 1879 in the Trindate Hall, now restored and named the Teatro Trindade (Figure 3).
The medal was commissioned specifically for Serpa Pinto by the Portuguese Society of Pernambuco of Brazil where his family had lived when he was a child. It was designed by the noted 19th century artist Bordalo Pinheiro and created in gold by Brazilian artisans. It weighs 27.5 grams, with a diameter of 3.5cm and length of 6.9cm. The award is a circular gold medal surrounded
EMINENT EXPLORER:VISCOUNT SERPA PINTO’S GOLD MEDAL
