Tonkin commemorative medal
Encyclopedia
The Tonkin 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.
On the reverse of the medal are a list of some of the more notable engagements of the Tonkin campaign
and the Sino-French War
. Two medal issues were made, one for the army and one for the navy and the troupes de marine. The navy issue medal includes the following names: Cau-Giaï, Sontay, Bac-Ninh, Fou-Tchéou, Formose, Tuyen-Quan, Pescadores. The army issue medal omits the name Cau-Giaï, as this engagement
, a serious French defeat on 19 May 1883 in which Henri Rivière, the French commandant supérieur in Tonkin, was killed, was entirely a navy affair.
The names, given in chronological order, refer respectively to the Battle of Paper Bridge
(19 May 1883), the Son Tay Campaign
(December 1883), the Bac Ninh campaign
(March 1884), the Battle of Fuzhou (23 August 1884), the Keelung Campaign
(August 1884–April 1885), the Siege of Tuyen Quang
(November 1884–March 1885) and the Pescadores Campaign
(March 1885).
The medal ribbon, envisaged in the law of 6 September 1885 as half green and half yellow, was redesigned in the course of production, and the final version featured four green stripes on a yellow background.
The clasp is inscribed with the word Tonkin.
The medal, minted at the Monnaie de Paris
, was initially distributed to participants in the campaigns in Tonkin
, Annam and China
between 1883 and 1885. No distinction was made between combatants and non-combatants. Administrative and support staff, including cantinières and officials working in the treasury, postal and military telegraphy services, were eligible for the award of the medal. The medal was not awarded to participants whose service records were marred by serious military offences or habitual misconduct.
In the cases of men who had died on active service, the medal was awarded as a souvenir to a near relative (in order of preference the deceased man's eldest son, widow, father, mother or eldest brother).
Each medal recipient was also given a diploma issued by the navy ministry (Ministère de la Marine) or the army ministry (Ministère de la Guerre).
A law of 27 July 1887 extended the medal's distribution to servicemen who had taken part in various expeditions in Indochina since the end of the Sino-French War and to those who had fought in Tonkin under Francis Garnier
in 1873 and in the early campaigns of Henri Rivière in 1882. The medal was eventually issued to all servicemen who had campaigned between 1885 and 1893 in Tonkin, Annam, Cambodia
, Siam and the Upper Mekong
, bringing the total number of recipients to 97,300.
The list of feats of arms commemorated on the reverse of the medal aroused comment. Although most of the engagements included were uncontroversial, the commemoration of the French defeat at the Battle of Paper Bridge
raised some eyebrows. The government included this engagement as a tribute to the two pre-eminent martyrs of the French conquest of Tonkin, Henri Rivière and Francis Garnier
. The battlefield of Cau-Giaï, where Rivière fell on 19 May 1883, was also the scene of the defeat and death of Francis Garnier
ten years earlier, on 21 December 1873.
There were a number of puzzling absences from the list, including the battles of the Kep Campaign
of October 1884 and the Lang Son Campaign
in February 1885. In both campaigns the Tonkin Expeditionary Corps
inflicted a string of defeats on the Chinese. The decision not to commemorate the Lang Son Campaign
was taken because its gains were wiped out in March 1885 by the notorious Retreat from Lang Son
. Nevertheless, the omission angered many of the veterans who had taken part in the February campaign. Lieutenant Armengaud, a Foreign Legion
officer, bitterly criticised this decision at the end of his book Lang-Son. In Armengaud's view, several of the February engagements (Dong Song, Pho Vy, Dong Dang
) qualified for inclusion, as did the battles of Bang Bo and Ky Lua, fought around Lang Son in late March 1885:
The government's decision to issue the medal to every soldier and sailor who had fought in the Tonkin campaign and Sino-French War was also controversial. More than 65,000 servicemen (30,000 soldiers and 35,000 sailors) initially qualified for the medal, and its issue to such a large number of men was felt in some quarters to devalue its significance:
Tonkin campaign
The Tonkin Campaign was a armed conflict fought between June 1883 and April 1886 by the French against, variously, the Vietnamese, Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army and the Chinese Guangxi and Yunnan armies to occupy Tonkin and entrench a French protectorate there...
and the Sino-French War
Sino-French War
The Sino–French War was a limited conflict fought between August 1884 and April 1885 to decide whether France should replace China in control of Tonkin . As the French achieved their war aims, they are usually considered to have won the war...
between 1883 and 1885. The medal, decreed by a law of 6 September 1885, was minted at the Monnaie de Paris
Monnaie de Paris
The Monnaie de Paris or, more administratively speaking, the "Direction of Coins and Medals", is an administration of the French government charged with issuing coins as well as producing medals and other similar items. Many ancient coins are housed there...
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.
Law of 6 September 1885
The decision to issue a commemorative medal was enshrined in a law of 6 September 1885, whose text read as follows:
Article 1. There is hereby established a commemorative medal for the Tonkin expedition and the military operations directed against China and Annam in 1883, 1884 and 1885.
Article 2. The medal shall be of silver, 30 millimetres in diameter. On one side it shall bear the effigy of the Republic, with the words République française, and on the other the legend Tonkin, Chine, Annam and in an inscription the names of the most glorious feats of arms. The medallion shall be enclosed within a laurel wreath.
Article 3. The persons awarded this medal shall wear it on the left side of the chest, attached to a ribbon half green and half yellow.
Article 4. The medal shall be bestowed by the President of the Republic on all the soldiers and sailors who took part in the Tonkin expedition and the military operations directed against China and Annam in 1883, 1884 and 1885, on the recommendation of the ministry responsible for their respective corps or service.
Description of the medal
As stipulated in the law of 6 September 1885, the obverse of the medal features an effigy of the Republic and the words République française, enclosed within a laurel wreath. In accordance with convention, the Republic is represented as a helmeted young woman with the word patrie (motherland) inscribed on the visor of her helmet.On the reverse of the medal are a list of some of the more notable engagements of the Tonkin campaign
Tonkin campaign
The Tonkin Campaign was a armed conflict fought between June 1883 and April 1886 by the French against, variously, the Vietnamese, Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army and the Chinese Guangxi and Yunnan armies to occupy Tonkin and entrench a French protectorate there...
and the Sino-French War
Sino-French War
The Sino–French War was a limited conflict fought between August 1884 and April 1885 to decide whether France should replace China in control of Tonkin . As the French achieved their war aims, they are usually considered to have won the war...
. Two medal issues were made, one for the army and one for the navy and the troupes de marine. The navy issue medal includes the following names: Cau-Giaï, Sontay, Bac-Ninh, Fou-Tchéou, Formose, Tuyen-Quan, Pescadores. The army issue medal omits the name Cau-Giaï, as this engagement
Battle of Paper Bridge
The Battle of Cầu Giấy or Paper Bridge, fought on 19 May 1883, was one of the numerous clashes during the Tonkin campaign between the French and the Black Flags...
, a serious French defeat on 19 May 1883 in which Henri Rivière, the French commandant supérieur in Tonkin, was killed, was entirely a navy affair.
The names, given in chronological order, refer respectively to the Battle of Paper Bridge
Battle of Paper Bridge
The Battle of Cầu Giấy or Paper Bridge, fought on 19 May 1883, was one of the numerous clashes during the Tonkin campaign between the French and the Black Flags...
(19 May 1883), the Son Tay Campaign
Son Tay Campaign
The Son Tay Campaign was a campaign fought by the French to capture the strategically important city of Son Tay in Tonkin from Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army and allied contingents of Vietnamese and Chinese troops...
(December 1883), the Bac Ninh campaign
Bac Ninh campaign
The Bac Ninh Campaign was one of a series of clashes between French and Chinese forces in northern Vietnam during the Tonkin campaign...
(March 1884), the Battle of Fuzhou (23 August 1884), the Keelung Campaign
Keelung Campaign
The Keelung Campaign was a controversial military campaign undertaken by the French in northern Formosa during the Sino-French War. After making a botched attack on Keelung in August 1884, the French landed an expeditionary corps of 2,000 men and captured the port in October 1884...
(August 1884–April 1885), the Siege of Tuyen Quang
Siege of Tuyen Quang
The Siege of Tuyen Quang was an important confrontation between the French and the Chinese armies in Tonkin during the Sino-French War...
(November 1884–March 1885) and the Pescadores Campaign
Pescadores Campaign
The Pescadores Campaign in late March 1885 was one of the last campaigns of the Sino-French War . It was fought to capture a strategically important island group off the western coast of Taiwan...
(March 1885).
The medal ribbon, envisaged in the law of 6 September 1885 as half green and half yellow, was redesigned in the course of production, and the final version featured four green stripes on a yellow background.
The clasp is inscribed with the word Tonkin.
Eligibility and distribution
Monnaie de Paris
The Monnaie de Paris or, more administratively speaking, the "Direction of Coins and Medals", is an administration of the French government charged with issuing coins as well as producing medals and other similar items. Many ancient coins are housed there...
, was initially distributed to participants in the campaigns in Tonkin
Tonkin
Tonkin , also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is the northernmost part of Vietnam, south of China's Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces, east of northern Laos, and west of the Gulf of Tonkin. Locally, it is known as Bắc Kỳ, meaning "Northern Region"...
, Annam and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
between 1883 and 1885. No distinction was made between combatants and non-combatants. Administrative and support staff, including cantinières and officials working in the treasury, postal and military telegraphy services, were eligible for the award of the medal. The medal was not awarded to participants whose service records were marred by serious military offences or habitual misconduct.
In the cases of men who had died on active service, the medal was awarded as a souvenir to a near relative (in order of preference the deceased man's eldest son, widow, father, mother or eldest brother).
Each medal recipient was also given a diploma issued by the navy ministry (Ministère de la Marine) or the army ministry (Ministère de la Guerre).
A law of 27 July 1887 extended the medal's distribution to servicemen who had taken part in various expeditions in Indochina since the end of the Sino-French War and to those who had fought in Tonkin under Francis Garnier
Francis Garnier
Marie Joseph François Garnier was a French officer and explorer known for his exploration of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia.- Early career :...
in 1873 and in the early campaigns of Henri Rivière in 1882. The medal was eventually issued to all servicemen who had campaigned between 1885 and 1893 in Tonkin, Annam, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Siam and the Upper Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
, bringing the total number of recipients to 97,300.
Controversies
Battle of Paper Bridge
The Battle of Cầu Giấy or Paper Bridge, fought on 19 May 1883, was one of the numerous clashes during the Tonkin campaign between the French and the Black Flags...
raised some eyebrows. The government included this engagement as a tribute to the two pre-eminent martyrs of the French conquest of Tonkin, Henri Rivière and Francis Garnier
Francis Garnier
Marie Joseph François Garnier was a French officer and explorer known for his exploration of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia.- Early career :...
. The battlefield of Cau-Giaï, where Rivière fell on 19 May 1883, was also the scene of the defeat and death of Francis Garnier
Francis Garnier
Marie Joseph François Garnier was a French officer and explorer known for his exploration of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia.- Early career :...
ten years earlier, on 21 December 1873.
There were a number of puzzling absences from the list, including the battles of the Kep Campaign
Kep Campaign
The Kep Campaign was an important campaign in northern Vietnam during the opening months of the Sino-French War...
of October 1884 and the Lang Son Campaign
Lang Son Campaign
The Lang Son Campaign was a major French offensive in Tonkin during the Sino-French War...
in February 1885. In both campaigns the Tonkin Expeditionary Corps
Tonkin Expeditionary Corps
The Tonkin Expeditionary Corps was an important French military command based in northern Vietnam from June 1883 to April 1886. The expeditionary corps fought the Tonkin campaign taking part in campaigns against the Black Flag Army and the Chinese Yunnan and Guangxi Armies during the...
inflicted a string of defeats on the Chinese. The decision not to commemorate the Lang Son Campaign
Lang Son Campaign
The Lang Son Campaign was a major French offensive in Tonkin during the Sino-French War...
was taken because its gains were wiped out in March 1885 by the notorious Retreat from Lang Son
Retreat from Lang Son
The Retreat from Lang Son was a controversial, and almost certainly unnecessary, French strategic withdrawal in Tonkin at the end of March 1885 that brought down the government of the French premier Jules Ferry and brought the Sino-French War to an end in circumstances of considerable...
. Nevertheless, the omission angered many of the veterans who had taken part in the February campaign. Lieutenant Armengaud, a Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
officer, bitterly criticised this decision at the end of his book Lang-Son. In Armengaud's view, several of the February engagements (Dong Song, Pho Vy, Dong Dang
Battle of Dong Dang
The Battle of Dong Dang was an important French victory during the Sino-French War.- Background :The battle was fought as a pendant to the Lang Son Campaign , in which the French captured the Guangxi Army's base at Lang Son.On 16 February General Louis Brière de l'Isle, the commander of the Tonkin...
) qualified for inclusion, as did the battles of Bang Bo and Ky Lua, fought around Lang Son in late March 1885:
He regrets, however, along with everyone else who fought in the expedition against Lang Son, that the defeats which ended it have so tarnished the laurels won in the numerous actions fought before 24 March that they have been judged unworthy to furnish a glorious name to engrave on the commemorative medal for the Tonkin campaign. Dong Song! Pho Vy! Dong Dang! Bang Bo! Ky Lua! There would have been no shortage of possible names!
The government's decision to issue the medal to every soldier and sailor who had fought in the Tonkin campaign and Sino-French War was also controversial. More than 65,000 servicemen (30,000 soldiers and 35,000 sailors) initially qualified for the medal, and its issue to such a large number of men was felt in some quarters to devalue its significance:
With the 500,000 francs that have been laid out for this valueless distinction we might instead have given the médaille militaire to three or four hundred brave men and done them true honour. That would have been little enough, and far less than their deeds deserved, but at least it would have been better than nothing. But the commemorative medal is nothing. Indeed, it is less than nothing, worse than nothing. It is a manifestation of that absurd species of egalitarianism which insists on cutting down the great to the same level as the small and rewarding equally those who exceeded their duty and those who shirked it.