Service Star (Congo)
The Service Star was a civil decoration in the Congo Free State created by a decree of the king-sovereign, Leopold II, on 16 January 1889. It was given to those non-natives who faithfully and honorably completed a term of service in the Congo. It was the second decoration in terms of precedence, the Order of the African Star, introduced seventeen days earlier, being the first.
The award consisted of a five-sided silver star 30 millimetres in diameter. On one side, in the centre, was a smaller five-sided gold star, while on the other was the Free State motto, Travail et progrès. It came with a blue ribbon with horizontal silver bars attached to indicate the number of terms of service in the Congo. Vice-Governor General Paul Costermans, for example, wore the star with four bars.
