The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a

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 medal ...

of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

during wartime, typically in actual combat. Since 1993 it has been awarded specifically for 'highly successful command and leadership during active operations', with all ranks being eligible.

History

Instituted on 6 September 1886 by Queen Victoria in a

royal warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

published in '' The London Gazette'' on 9 November, the first DSOs awarded were dated 25 November 1886. The order was established to reward individual instances of meritorious or distinguished service in war. It was a military order, until recently for officers only and typically awarded to officers ranked

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

(or equivalent) or higher, with awards to ranks below this usually for a high degree of gallantry, just short of deserving the Victoria Cross. Whilst normally given for service under fire or under conditions equivalent to service in actual combat with the enemy, a number of awards made between 1914 and 1916 were under circumstances not under fire, often to staff officers, causing resentment among front-line officers. After 1 January 1917, commanders in the field were instructed to recommend this award only for those serving under fire. From 1916, ribbon bars could be authorised for subsequent awards of the DSO, worn on the ribbon of the original award. In 1942, the award was extended to officers of the Merchant Navy who had performed acts of gallantry whilst under enemy attack. A requirement that the order could be given only to someone

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

was removed in 1943.

Modern era

Since 1993, reflecting the review of the British honours system which recommended removing distinctions of rank in respect of operational awards, the DSO has been open to all ranks, with the award criteria redefined as 'highly successful command and leadership during active operations'. At the same time, the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross was introduced as the second-highest award for gallantry. Despite some very fierce campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, the DSO has yet to be awarded to a non-commissioned rank. The DSO had also been awarded by Commonwealth countries but by the 1990s most, 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 tota ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the L ...

and New Zealand, were establishing their own honours systems and no longer recommended British honours.

Nomenclature

Recipients of the order are officially known as Companions of the Distinguished Service Order, and are entitled to use the

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

"DSO". All awards are announced in ''The London Gazette''.

Description

* The medal signifying the award of the DSO is a

silver-gilt Silver-gilt or gilded/gilt silver, sometimes known in American English by the French term vermeil, is silver (either pure or sterling) which has been gilded with gold. Most large objects made in goldsmithing that appear to be gold are actually ...

(gold until 1889) cross with curved ends, wide, enamelled white and edged in gilt. It is manufactured by Messrs Garrard & Co, the

Crown Jewellers A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

. * In the centre of the obverse, within a green enamelled laurel wreath, is the imperial crown in gold upon a red enamelled background. The reverse has the royal cypher of the reigning monarch in gold within a similar wreath and background. * A ring at the top of the medal attaches to a ring at the bottom of a gilt suspension bar, ornamented with laurel. Since 1938 the year of award engraved on the back of the suspension bar. At the top of the ribbon is a second gilt bar ornamented with laurel. * The medals are issued unnamed but some recipients have had their names engraved on the reverse of the suspension bar. * The red ribbon is wide with narrow blue edges. * The bar for an additional award is plain gold with an Imperial Crown in the centre. Since about 1938, the year of the award has been engraved on the back of the bar. A rosette is worn on the ribbon in undress uniform to signify the award of each bar.

Recipients

Numbers awarded

From 1918 to 2017 the insignia of the Distinguished Service Order has been awarded approximately 16,935 times, in addition to 1,910 bars. The figures to 1979 are laid out in the table below, the dates reflecting the relevant entries in the ''London Gazette'': In addition, between 1980 and 2017 approximately 90 DSOs have been earned, including awards for the

Falklands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

and the wars in the Gulf, Iraq and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

, in addition to three second-award bars. The above figures include awards to the

. In all, 1,220 DSOs have gone to Canadians, plus 119 first bars and 20 second bars.Veterans Affairs Canada – Distinguished Service Order
(Retrieved 8 December 2018) From 1901 to 1972, when the last Australian to receive the DSO was announced, 1,018 awards were made to Australians, plus 70 first bars and one second bar. The DSO was awarded to over 300 New Zealanders during the two World Wars. Honorary awards to members of allied foreign forces include at least 1,329 for World War I, with further awards for World War II.

Notable recipients

The following received the DSO and three bars (''i.e.,'' were awarded the DSO four times): * Archibald Walter Buckle, rose from naval rating in the

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

to command the Anson Battalion of the Royal Naval Division during the First World War *

William Denman Croft Brigadier General William Denman Croft, (15 March 1879 – 14 July 1968) was a British Army officer. He served as a brigadier general in the British Army in the First World War, and afterwards in India. He was one of seven British officers to b ...

, First World War army officer *

William Robert Aufrere Dawson William Robert Aufrère "Bob" Dawson, (23 June 1891 – 3 December 1918) was a British Army officer in the First World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on four occasions for his actions in command of the 6th (Service) Ba ...

, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment during the First World War, wounded nine times and mentioned in despatches four times * Basil Embry, Second World War Royal Air Force officer *

Bernard Freyberg Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, (21 March 1889 – 4 July 1963) was a British-born New Zealand soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, who served as the 7th Governor-General of New Zealand from 1946 to 1952. Freyb ...

, also awarded the Victoria Cross * Edward Albert Gibbs, Second World War

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed i ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

* Arnold Jackson, First World War British Army officer and 1500 metres Olympic gold medal winner in 1912 * Douglas Kendrew, served as a brigade commander in Italy, Greece and the Middle East between 1944 and 1946. Subsequently appointed Governor of Western Australia. *

Robert Sinclair Knox Robert Sinclair Knox, (2 March 1881 – 25 January 1963) was an officer in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in the First World War. He was one of seven British officers to be awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) four times during the co ...

, First World War British Army officer *

Frederick William Lumsden Brigadier-General Frederick William Lumsden, (14 December 1872 – 4 June 1918) was a British officer in Royal Marine Artillery and during the First World War. During his service he was decorated four times for valorous service and saw action in ...

, British First World War

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

officer, also awarded the Victoria Cross *

Paddy Mayne Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair "Paddy" Mayne, (11 January 1915 – 14 December 1955) was a British Army officer from Newtownards, capped for Ireland and the British Lions at rugby union, lawyer, amateur boxer, and a founding member of the ...

Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terro ...

commander in the Second World War and Irish rugby player * Sir Richard George Onslow, Second World War destroyer captain and later admiral * Alastair Pearson, a British Army officer who received his four awards within the space of two years during the Second World War * James Brian Tait, RAF pilot also awarded the DFC and bar, completed 101 bombing missions in the Second World War * Frederic John Walker, Second World War British Navy captain and U-boat hunter * Edward Allan Wood, First World War army officer

References

External links

UK Cabinet Office, Honours System: Orders of Chivalry

Search recommendations for the DSO
on the UK National Archives' website {{South African military decorations and medals Awards established in 1886 1886 establishments in the United Kingdom Courage awards Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom