medals for service in Kenyan army

[bigjon]

My mother was born in South Africa from british settlers. her family moved to Kenya which was then British East Africa. She was called up for national service. She married my father who was a sergeant in the british army and was discharged when she became pregnant. Was she entitled to any medals?

     bigjon

[GrahamSimons]

Dates will help us work out the answer.....

[jim1]

Also which Army. Kenya or SA.

[GrahamSimons]

Assuming British or pre-independence Kenya, this is the most likely:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_General_Service_Medal
but I suspect that women, as non-combatants, might not have had entitlement.

WW2 she could well have been entitled to the Defence Medal....

[bigjon]

she was in the Kenyan army.I don't know when she was called up but I know she was in when she got married 5th July 1944 which was also her 21st birthday. Probably discharged later that year as I was born April 1945. Her british passport says british subject by birth and wife of british subject and was issued by colony and protectorate of Kenya.
     bigjon

[GrahamSimons]

This wasn't the Kenya Army, therefore, which wasn't formed until independence. She'd have been serving in a British unit, some but not all of which would have been formed in Kenya; inevitably she'd have been in the ATS or a nursing service. I have had a look without much success for the Order of Battle for Kenya in 1945 (you may find it under orbat as well) which would tell us what units were there.
You might make a start by requesting her service records from the Ministry of Defence - there's plenty of advice on that on Rootschat. That would tell you what unit she served in, and the duration of service: both are important to entitlement.
Medal eligibility is here -
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/medals-campaigns-descriptions-and-eligibility#world-war-2-medals

[ShaunJ]

There was a locally recruited FANY unit in British East Africa from 1936 on. Some ATS were sent out from the UK in 1943 to form ATS (East Africa): possibly there were local recruits. 

[GrahamSimons]

There was a locally recruited FANY unit in British East Africa from 1936 on. Some ATS were sent out from the UK in 1943 to form ATS (East Africa): possibly there were local recruits.

Which makes me think - any photos of her in uniform? Badges would tell us something with luck. Or any remnants of badges at the back of a drawer somewhere?

[bigjon]

I,m sure she was ATS as she was a telephonist.
     bigjon