RSA (Post-1994): 'Wild Geese' Congo Mercenaries / Lieutenant Colonel Mike Hoare Centenary
|
|
|
|
|
Form:
|
Circular
|
|
By:
|
? |
|
Date:
|
2019 |
|
Ref:
|
Laidlaw: 1312;
|
|
Variations:
|
| Size | Metal | Mass | Value |
|---|
| 50 mm | Bronze | 32 gm | $85 |
|
|
Edge:
|
Plain.
|
|
Obverse:
|
Goose in flight, right, over sea. Clump of palm trees bottom right. Legend above: "THE WILD GEESE".
|
|
Reverse:
|
Against a rough pebbled background, bust of Mike Hoare, half right, in uniform of 5 Commando. Legend above: "Lt Col 'Mad Mike' Hoare" and below: "1919 - 17 March - 2019".
|
|
Notes:
|
Mike Hoare (1919- ) served as a British Army Officer in India and Burma during the Second World War leaving with the rank of major. Subsequently he emigrated to Durban, South Africa where he still lives. He is best known as the leader of the mercenary force during the Congo Crisis of 1961-65 when the copper-rich Katanga Province under Moïse Tshombe succeeded from the newly independent Congo Republic. His unit was known as the 5 Commando or the 'Wild Geese'. He also led a mercenary group in 1981 to secure a coup d'état in the Seychelles. This mission was a failure and Hoare was imprisoned for 33 months.
The obverse design is taken from the 'Wild Geese' cloth patch. The medal was produce to commemorate the 'Wild Geese' and the 100th birthday of Mike Hoare.
|
