The DSC is "awarded in recognition of an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy at sea."[2][3] Since 1979, it can be awarded posthumously.[2]
The award was originally created in 1901 as theConspicuous Service Cross, for award towarrant and subordinate officers, includingmidshipmen, ineligible for theDistinguished 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 oflieutenant commander.[4]
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.[4] DuringWorld War I, officers of theMerchant and Fishing Fleets had been awarded the DSC, and their eligibility was legally clarified by anorder in council in 1931.[5]
The DSC had also been awarded by Commonwealth countries; however, by the 1990s, most of these—includingCanada,Australia, andNew Zealand—were establishing their own honours systems and no longer recommended British honours.[7]
Recipients are entitled to the post-nominal "DSC".[5]
The DSC is a plain silver cross with rounded ends, with a width of 43 millimetres (1.7 in) and with the following design:[8]
The obverse has a circular centre containing theRoyal 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,[9] and since 1984 it has been awarded named to the recipient.[8]
The ribbon has three equal stripes of dark blue, white, and dark blue.[9]
The ribbon bar denoting a further award is plain silver, with convex ends and a central crown.
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 theUS Navy for service inKorea.[10]
The above table includes awards to theDominions: In all, 199 DSCs have gone to those serving with Canadian forces, with 34 first bars and five second bars.[13] It was replaced in 1993 by theMedal 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 theMedal for Gallantry.[14]
Only one person has ever been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross four times.Norman Eyre Morley served in theRoyal Naval Reserve duringWorld War I andWorld 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 theGuinness Book of Records as the most decorated reserve naval officer.[15][16]
William Richard Ashton (Staff Paymaster/Paymaster-Lieutenant,RNR): Awarded the DSC on 23 March 1917[17], a First Bar on 23 May 1917[18], and a Second Bar on 2 November 1917.[19] He served with Stephen Philip Robey White as an officer aboard theQ-shipHMS Penshurst during the First World War and was also awarded theDistinguished Service Order (DSO) on 16 March 1918[20] and theReserve 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.
In 1919, the Distinguished Service Cross was awarded to the City ofDunkirk for the gallant behaviour of its citizens during World War I, and the Cross appears in the coat of arms of the city.[27][28]
^The London Gazette. Supplement No. 29997, 23 March 1917, p. 2953.
^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).
^The London Gazette. Supplement No. 30363, 2 November 1917, p. 11316.
^The London Gazette. Supplement No. 30581, 16 March 1918, p. 3394.
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