( Reinvented and renamed as the "Medaille d'Outre-Mer" - The Overseas Medal  -   6th June 1962)

          Instituted 26th July 1893, the French Colonial medal is a long running award and the equivalent of the British "General Service" Medal. Various manufacturers have been involved in its production and the large number of bars - including retrospective awards back to 1827, make this medal a complex and interesting field in itself. Several hundred varieties of medal exist without even considering the ribbon bars/clasps.
Many minor variations exist in detail and size but generally: A silver (later silver plate) medal of 30mm diameter the obverse depicting the helmeted head of La Republique surrounded by the inscription "Republique Francaise". The reverse depicts the Earth's eastern hemisphere superimposed on a trophy of arms and the inscription "Medaille Coloniale" under, or "Medaille d'Outre - Mer" for the 1962 successor. The suspension is of an ornate foliage pattern - early issues double sided, and later issues single sided.

The Colonial medals can be approximately grouped as follows:
Double sided suspension 1893 -1930.
Single sided suspension 1930 -1962.
A Vichy version with the normal obverse legend replaced with "ETAT FRANCAIS".
Local Manufacture; generally cruder often made in the far east.

Official clasps are listed below. ( Note: a large number of unofficial clasps also exist.)

 

Special Model  (4): four clasps were issued for expeditions. (of  discovery)
CENTRE AFRICAIN	DE L'ATLANTIQUE A LA MER ROUGE	GABON-CONGO	MISSION SAHARIENNE
Eastern or Oriental Model (14):
BIR HAKEIM 1942	BIR HAKEIM	COTE DES SOMALIS  1940-1941 (Vichy)	COTE DES SOMALIS
ERYTHREE	ETHIOPIE	FEZZAN	FEZZAN-TRIPOLITAINE
INDOCHINE	KOUFRA	LIBYE	MAROC
TRIPOLITAINE	TUNISIE 1942-1943
Normal Model (33):
ADRAR	AFRIQUE	AFRIQUE EQUATORIALE  FRANCAISE	AFRIQUE FRANCAISE LIBRE
AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE  FRANCAISE	ALGERIE	ASIE	COCHINCHINE
COMORES	CONGO	COTE-D'IVOIRE	COTE-D'OR
DAHOMEY	EXTREME-ORIENT	GUINEE FRANCAISE	GUYANE
HAUT MEKONG	ILES MARQUISES	ILES DE LA SOCIETE	LAOS ET MEKONG
MADAGASCAR	MAROC 1925 (in gilt finish)	MAROC 1925- 1926  (in gilt finish)	MAURITANIE
NOSSI-BE	NOUVELLE-CALEDONIE	SAHARA	SENEGAL ET SUDAN
SOMALIE	SYRIE 1941 (Vichy)	TCHAD	TONKIN
TUNISIE
The Medaille d'Outre-Mer (post 1962)  vermeil (gilt ) finished clasps:
TCHAD	MAURITANIE	LIBAN	ZAIRE
ORMUZ	MOYEN-ORIENT	CAMBODGE	SOMALIE
(   .....and many more   )

Post WW2 group with the Colonial Medal. (click to enlarge)
North Africa and Indochina. Mounted in the typical fashion.