War Medals and Their HistorySteward, William Augustus
History
War Medals and Their History
Steward, William Augustus
Great Britain. Army -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.
belonging to the Royal Navy or Royal Marines, upon whom the Albert
Medal for Saving Life at Sea shall have been conferred, shall be kept
at the offices of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. (See group
facing p. 184.)
=Distinguished Service Order.=--By a Royal Warrant dated September
6th, 1866, Her Majesty Queen Victoria instituted the Distinguished
Service Order for the purpose of recognising the special services of
commissioned officers of the Army and Navy, likewise the Indian and
Colonial Naval and Military Forces.
The badge consists of a gold cross patée, convexed, the ground
enamelled white, leaving an edge of gold; on the obverse, in the
centre, within two sprigs of laurel, enamelled green, is the Imperial
Crown in gold, upon a red enamelled ground. On the reverse is the
monogram V.R.I. within two branches of laurel, also upon a red
enamelled ground. The badge is worn suspended from the left breast by
a red ribbon edged with blue, 1 in. in width, from a gold laureated
bar 1⅕ in. wide, fastened to the badge by two gold loops, and having
a similar gold laureated bar with brooch attachment above. The award
carries with it the right to append the letters D.S.O. after the
recipient's name. (See facing page 208.)
=The New Zealand Cross.=--This was instituted by Order in Council at
the Government House, Wellington, March 10th, 1869, and afterwards
sanctioned by Her Majesty as "a Decorative Distinction to be conferred
on members of the Militia, Volunteers, or Armed Constabulary, who may
particularly distinguish themselves by their bravery in action, or
devotion to their duty while on service." The conditions are almost
exactly similar to those for the Victoria Cross, and the recipient
received an annual pension of £10.
It is a silver Maltese cross, with bright silver double borders, having
a six-pointed gold star on each arm. In the centre, in a circle,
NEW ZEALAND surrounded by a wreath of laurel in gold. The cross is
surmounted by a gold crown and attached to a crimson ribbon--1½ in.
wide--by a silver bar ornamented with laurel, in gold, connected by
a V and ring, in silver, with the top of the crown. The name of the
recipient and the date of the action should be engraved on the back
of the cross. Clasps may be added for additional acts of bravery or
devotion. The clasp to be a silver bar across the ribbon, having a
plain surface burnished and inscribed with the date of the occurrence
for which the bar is given, and the name of the action--if any.
Twenty-one officers and men have received this decoration. These
crosses have realised from £15 to £25.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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