Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)

{{short description|British medal for act of gallantry}} {{Use British English|date=July 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox military award |name= Distinguished Service Cross |image=152px|centre Obverse of the Cross 120px|centre |caption= Ribbon bar for further award |presenter= United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |type= Military decoration |eligibility= British, (formerly) Commonwealth, and allied forces |awarded_for= Gallantry during active operations against the enemy at sea |campaign= |status= Currently awarded |description= Plain silver cross with rounded ends, 43 mm max height and width |clasps= |established= 15 June 1901 (as Conspicuous Service Cross), renamed October 1914 |firstawarded= |lastawarded= |total_awarded= At least 6,658 Crosses and 603 bars |total_awarded_posthumously= |total_recipients= |individual= |precedence_label=Order of Wear |higher= Royal Red Cross, First Class<ref name=JSP761>{{cite web |title=JSP 761 Honours and Awards in the Armed Forces |url=http://ndm-pr.webs.com/jsp761%5B1%5D.pdf |page=12A-1 |access-date=7 November 2014 |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802165525/https://ndm-pr.webs.com/jsp761%5B1%5D.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> |same= |lower= Military Cross<ref name=JSP761/> |related=Distinguished Service Medal |image2= center|100px center|100px center|100pxDistinguished Service Cross ribbon: without bar, and with one and two bars |caption2= }}

The '''Distinguished Service Cross''' ('''DSC''') is a third-level military decoration awarded for gallantry during active operations against the enemy at sea to officers; and, since 1993, ratings and other ranks of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the British Merchant Navy have been eligible. The award was formerly also awarded to members of armed forces 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."<ref name=Gazette>{{London Gazette|issue=56693 |supp=y|page=11145|date=17 October 2002}}</ref><ref>[http://www.operations.mod.uk/honours/honours.htm Defence FactSheet] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210734/http://www.operations.mod.uk/honours/honours.htm |date=27 September 2007 }} Accessed 28 June 2007.</ref> Since 1979, it can be awarded posthumously.<ref name=Gazette/>

==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. 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.<ref name=Abbott107>Abbott & Tamplin, pages 107-109.</ref>

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.<ref name=Abbott107/> During World War I, officers of the Merchant and Fishing Fleets had been awarded the DSC, and their eligibility was legally clarified by an order in council in 1931.<ref name=Dorling/>

World War II saw a number of changes. In December 1939, eligibility was extended to Naval Officers of the rank of Commander and Lieutenant-Commander.<ref name=Dorling>Dorling, page 40.</ref> In April 1940, equivalent ranks in the Royal Air Force serving with the Fleet could receive the DSC, and, from November 1942, so could those in the Army aboard defensively equipped merchant ships.<ref name=Abbott107/>

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, 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 or the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceFor/Veterans/Medals/MilitaryCrossmc.htm |title=Distinguished Service Cross |publisher=Ministry of Defence |access-date=11 November 2018}}</ref>

The DSC had also been awarded by Commonwealth countries; however, by the 1990s, most of these—including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—were establishing their own honours systems and no longer recommended British honours.<ref>Mussell, pages 390, 429, 459.</ref>

Recipients are entitled to the post-nominal "DSC".<ref name=Dorling/>

==Description== The DSC is a plain silver cross with rounded ends, with a width of {{convert|43|mm|in}} and with the following design:<ref name=Mussell/> * 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,<ref name=Duckers>Duckers, pages 24-25.</ref> and since 1984 it has been awarded named to the recipient.<ref name=Mussell>Mussell, page 86.</ref> * The ribbon has three equal stripes of dark blue, white, and dark blue.<ref name=Duckers/> * 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:<ref name=Abbott110>Abbott & Tamplin, pages 110-111.</ref> {| class="wikitable" ! Period || ||align=center| Crosses|| 1st bar || 2nd bar|| 3rd bar |- |align=center| Pre-1914|| align="center" | 1901–1913 ||align=center| 8 ||align=center| – ||align=center| – ||align=center| – |- |align=center| World War I||align=center| 1914–1920 ||align=center| 1,983<ref>Abbott & Tamplin, page 110 gives varying figures from several sources, this being the highest figure.</ref> ||align=center| 91 ||align=center| 10 ||align=center| – |- |align=center| Interwar|| align="center" | 1921–1938 ||align=center| 7 ||align=center| – ||align=center| – ||align=center| – |- |align=center| World War II ||align=center| 1939–1946 ||align=center| 4,524 ||align=center| 434 ||align=center| 44 ||align=center| 1 |- |align=center| Postwar|| align="center" | 1947–2016||align=center|136<ref>Abbott & Tamplin, page 111 confirms 95 DSCs for 1947-79. A further 41 awarded 1980–2016: 30 for South Atlantic ([https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/48999/supplement/7422 London Gazette Supplements, 3 June 1982] & [https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/49134/supplement/12831 8 October 1982]); 7 for Gulf War ([https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/52588/supplement/1 London Gazette Supplement, 29 June 1991]); 1 for Iraq War ([https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/57100/supplement/4 London Gazette Supplement 31 October 2003]); and 3 for smaller conflicts:([https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/56168/supplement/4246 London Gazette Supplements 6 April 2001], [https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/60095/supplement/5851 23 March 2012] & [https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/61529/supplement/6082 18 March 2016]).</ref>||align=center| 18 ||align=center| 5 ||align=center| – |- |align=center| '''Total''' ||align=center| '''1901–2016''' ||align=center| '''6,658''' ||align=center| '''543''' ||align=center| '''59''' ||align=center| '''1''' |}

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 for service in Korea.<ref name=Abbott110/>

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.<ref>[http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/medals-decorations/details/44 Veterans Affairs Canada – Distinguished Service Cross] (Retrieved 7 November 2018)</ref> It was replaced in 1993 by the Medal of Military Valour. 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/awards/imperial.cfm#dsc |title=Imperial Awards |work=It's an Honour |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=7 November 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623051652/http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/awards/imperial.cfm#dsc |archive-date=23 June 2006 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

===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 during World War I and World War II. 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'' as the most decorated reserve naval officer.<ref name="LG 8 June 1945">{{London Gazette |issue=37127 |date=8 June 1945 |page=3088 |supp=y }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=An important collection of Royal Navy items relating to Commander Norman Morley DSC|url=https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/15088/lot/350/|website=Bonhams|access-date=24 April 2015|date=2007}}</ref>

===List of three-time recipients===

* William Richard Ashton (Staff Paymaster/Paymaster-Lieutenant, RNR): Awarded the DSC on 23 March 1917<ref>''The London Gazette''. Supplement No. 29997, 23 March 1917, p. 2951.</ref>, a First Bar on 23 May 1917<ref>''The London Gazette''. Supplement No. 30088, 23 May 1917, p. 5053.</ref>, and a Second Bar on 2 November 1917.<ref>''The London Gazette''. Supplement No. 30363, 2 November 1917, p. 11316.</ref> He served with Stephen Philip Robey White as an officer aboard the Q-ship ''HMS Penshurst'' during the First World War and was also awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 16 March 1918<ref>''The London Gazette''. Supplement No. 30581, 16 March 1918, p. 3394.</ref> and the Reserve Decoration (RD). Ashton was a 37 year-old naval paymaster when he worn his bravery medals - relatively old for WW1 military service, and surprising for a paymaster to be directly involved in (multiple) naval battles. He retired with the rank of Paymaster Commander. * Sir Robert Atkinson, served in the Royal Navy during World War II * Patrick Bayly, served in the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of vice admiral * Richard Gatehouse, served in the Royal Navy during World War II and later during the Korean War<ref name="LG 6 Nov 1953">{{London Gazette |issue=40011|date=6 Nov 1953 |page=6002 |supp=y }}</ref> * George Onslow Graham, served in the Royal Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy<ref name="LG 15 May 1953">{{London Gazette |issue=39854 |date=15 May 1953 |page=2765 |supp=y }}</ref> * Robert Peverell Hichens, served in the Royal Navy during World War II and was later recommended unsuccessfully for the Victoria Cross * Geoffrey John Kirkby, served in the Royal Navy during World War II. Awarded DSC in 1940, 1942 and 1944  * Thomas Le Mesurier, served in the Royal Air Force during World War I as a flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. Awarded DSC twice in 1917 and in 1918 * George James Macdonald, served in the Royal New Zealand Navy * Richard Minifie, served in the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I. 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 Royal Naval Reserve during World War II. Awarded DSC in 1939 and twice in 1941 * Jack Scatchard, served in the Royal Navy during World War II and the Cold War * Skule Storheill, served in the Royal Norwegian Navy and attached to the Royal Navy during World War II * Bob Whinney, served in the Royal Navy during World War II. Awarded DSC thrice in 1944 * Stephen Philip Robey White (Lieutenant, RNR): Awarded the DSC on 23 March 1917<ref>''The London Gazette''. Supplement No. 29997, 23 March 1917, p. 2953.</ref>, a First Bar on 23 May 1917<ref>''The London Gazette''. Supplement No. 30088, 23 May 1917, p. 5053 (RNR awards for this period were often consolidated in the supplement around this date).</ref>, and a Second Bar on 2 November 1917.<ref>''The London Gazette''. Supplement No. 30363, 2 November 1917, p. 11316.</ref> He served with William Richard Ashton as an officer aboard the Q-ship ''HMS Penshurst'' during the First World War and was also awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 16 March 1918.<ref>''The London Gazette''. Supplement No. 30581, 16 March 1918, p. 3394.</ref>

===Collective award=== In 1919, the Distinguished Service Cross was awarded to the City of Dunkirk for the gallant behaviour of its citizens during World War I, and the Cross appears in the coat of arms of the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=Traces of War|url=https://www.tracesofwar.com/awards/3/Distinguished-Service-Cross-DSC.htm?c=aw|website=TracesOfWar|access-date=2 Aug 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=La Grande Guerre (fr)|url=https://www.ville-dunkerque.fr/decouvrir-sortir-bouger/histoire-patrimoine/lhistoire-de-dunkerque/la-grande-guerre/|website=Dunkerque & vous|access-date=11 November 2018}}</ref>

==Notes and references== {{reflist}}

== Bibliography == * [https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/56693/supplement/11145 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. ({{ISBN|9780902633742}}) * Dorling, H. Taprell – ''Ribbons and Medals'', (1956). A. H. Baldwin & Son * Duckers, Peter – ''British Gallantry Awards 1855–2000'', (2011). Shire Publications, Risborough, Buckinghamshire. ({{ISBN|9780747805168}}) * Mussell, J (ed) – ''Medals Yearbook 2015'', (2014). Token Publishing, Honiton, Devon. ({{ISBN|9781908828163}})

Category:Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom