The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a third-level

military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. DoD Manual 1348.33, 2010, Vol. 3 A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a meda ...

awarded to officers; and, since 1993, ratings and other ranks of the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...

and the British Merchant Navy have been included. Additionally, the award was formerly awarded to members of other Commonwealth countries. The DSC is "awarded in recognition of an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy at sea." Since 1979, it can be awarded posthumously.

History

The award was originally created in 1901 as the Conspicuous Service Cross, for award to warrant and subordinate officers, including midshipmen, ineligible for the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

. It was renamed the Distinguished Service Cross in October 1914, eligibility being extended to all naval officers (commissioned and warrant) below the rank of

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

.Abbott & Tamplin, pages 107-109. From March 1915, foreign officers of equivalent rank in allied navies could receive honorary awards; in August 1916, bars were introduced to reward further acts of gallantry meriting the Cross, with a silver rosette worn on the ribbon when worn alone, to denote the award of each bar. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, officers of the

Merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

and Fishing Fleets had been awarded the DSC, and their eligibility was legally clarified by an order in council in 1931.

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

saw a number of changes. In December 1939, eligibility was extended to Naval Officers of the rank of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

and Lieutenant-Commander.Dorling, page 40. In April 1940, equivalent ranks in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

serving with the Fleet could receive the DSC, and, from November 1942, so could those in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

aboard defensively equipped merchant ships. Since the 1993 review of the honours system, as part of the drive to remove distinctions of rank in awards for bravery, the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

, formerly the third-level decoration for ratings, has been discontinued. The DSC now serves as the third-level award for gallantry at sea for all ranks, not to the standard required to receive the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

or the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. The DSC had also been awarded by Commonwealth countries; however, by the 1990s, most of these—including

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

—were establishing their own honours systems and no longer recommended British honours. Recipients are entitled to the post-nominal "DSC".

Description

The DSC is a plain silver cross with rounded ends, with a width of and with the following design: * The obverse has a circular centre containing the Royal Cypher of the reigning monarch at the time of award surmounted by a crown. * The reverse is plain apart from the hallmark, and the ribbon is attached via a hallmarked silver ring. From 1940, the year of issue was engraved on lower limb of cross,Duckers, pages 24-25. and since 1984 it has been awarded named to the recipient.Mussell, page 86. * The ribbon has three equal stripes of dark blue, white, and dark blue. * The ribbon bar denoting a further award is plain silver, with convex ends and a central crown.

Recipients

Numbers awarded

Since 1901 at least 6,658 Crosses and 603 bars have been awarded. The dates below reflect the relevant London Gazette entries:Abbott & Tamplin, pages 110-111. A number of honorary awards were made to members of allied foreign forces, including 151 for World War I, and 228 (with 12 first bars and 2 second bars) for World War II. Eight honorary awards were made in 1955 to members of the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for service in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

. The above table includes awards to the Dominions:
In all, 199 DSCs have gone to those serving with Canadian forces, with 34 first bars and five second bars. It was replaced in 1993 by the

Medal of Military Valour The Medal of Military Valour (french: Médaille de la vaillance militaire) is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the third highest award for military valour, and one of three honours for military valour gifted by the Can ...

.
182 were awarded to Australians, in addition to 13 first bars and three second bars. Last awarded to an Australian in 1972, it was replaced in 1991 by the Medal for Gallantry.

Four-time recipient

Only one person has ever been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross four times. Norman Eyre Morley served in the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original R ...

during

and

. He was awarded the DSC for the first time in 1919. He was awarded his second DSC in 1944. He was awarded the DSC a further two times in 1945. He gained an entry into the ''

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing worl ...

'' as the most decorated reserve naval officer.

List of three-time recipients

* Sir Robert Atkinson, served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

during

* Patrick Bayly, served in the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of vice admiral *

Richard Gatehouse Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

, served in the Royal Navy during

and later during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

George Onslow Graham George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...

, served in the Royal Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy *

Robert Peverell Hichens Lieutenant Commander Robert Peverell Hichens, (2 March 1909 – 13 April 1943) was the most highly decorated officer of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (RNVR), being awarded two Distinguished Service Orders, three Distinguished Service Cr ...

, served in the Royal Navy during World War II and was later recommended unsuccessfully for the

Geoffrey John Kirkby Captain Geoffrey John Kirkby CBE, DSC & Two Bars (26 August 1918 – 24 October 1998) was an officer in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, serving mainly at sea in small ships. Early life Kirkby was born on 26 August 1918. He was educat ...

, served in the Royal Navy during World War II. Awarded DSC in 1940, 1942 and 1944 * Thomas Le Mesurier, served in the

during

as a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

credited with seven aerial victories. Awarded DSC twice in 1917 and in 1918 *

George James Macdonald George James Macdonald & Two Bars (30 September 1921 – 22 January 1982) was a New Zealand naval officer, civil engineer and inventor. He was born in Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealan ...

, served in the Royal New Zealand Navy * Richard Minifie, served in the Royal Naval Air Service during

. Awarded DSC in twice in 1917 and in 1918 * Stanley Orr, served in the Royal Navy during World War II. Awarded DSC in 1940, 1941, and 1944 * Peter Piper, served in the

during World War II. Awarded DSC in 1939 and twice in 1941 *

Jack Scatchard Vice Admiral Jack Percival Scatchard & Two Bars (5 September 1910 – 22 June 2001) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy. He served for a time as Flag Officer Second-in-Command of the Far East Fleet. Naval career Educated at Aysgarth Scho ...

, served in the Royal Navy during World War II and the Cold War *

Skule Storheill Skule Valentin Storheill (17 August 1907–25 November 1992) was a Norwegian naval officer who reached prominence in World War II while serving aboard Norwegian warships within the Royal Navy, and received Norway's highest military decoratio ...

, served in the

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...

and attached to the Royal Navy during World War II *

Bob Whinney Captain Reginald Fife "Bob" Whinney DSC & Two Bars (8 February 1909 – 1992) was a Royal Navy officer who specialised in anti-submarine warfare during World War II. Whilst in command of the W-class destroyer he helped destroy three German U- ...

, served in the Royal Navy during

. Awarded DSC thrice in 1944

Collective award

In 1919, the Distinguished Service Cross was awarded to the City of

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.

for the gallant behaviour of its citizens during World War I, and the Cross appears in the coat of arms of the city.

Notes and references

Bibliography

Current Royal Warrant for the Distinguished Service Cross
17 September 2002. London Gazette. * Abbott, Peter and Tamplin, John – ''British Gallantry Awards'', 2nd edition (1981). Nimrod Dix and Co, London. () * Dorling, H. Taprell – ''Ribbons and Medals'', (1956). A. H. Baldwin & Son * Duckers, Peter – ''British Gallantry Awards 1855–2000'', (2011). Shire Publications, Risborough, Buckinghamshire. () * Mussell, J (ed) – ''Medals Yearbook 2015'', (2014). Token Publishing, Honiton, Devon. () {{South African military decorations and medals Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom

History

Description

Recipients

Numbers awarded

Four-time recipient

List of three-time recipients

Collective award

See also

Notes and references

Bibliography