GSM (1918) "Palestine 1945-48" to the African Pioneer Corps

May 2

AS.18154 Pte. M. Thamae, APC

I got this great GSM a few months ago off eBay. When I first saw the listing I thought "APC" meant Army Pay Corps, so I decided I'd get it for my collection since I'd never had any medals to the Army Pay Corps in my collection. As it turns out, it was more interesting (to me anyway) than I initially realized. I found the soldier's medal roll entry on Ancestry and discovered "APC" actually meant African Pioneer Corps which served the High Commission Territories.

Sure, to most it's just a rather common GSM. But, it's special to me as it is the first medal I've owned to a soldier from Africa that wasn't from South Africa; plus, the clasp is for service during a pivotal part of Middle Eastern history. I feel like I really scored by being able to get this medal for my collection