Distinguished Conduct Medal (Natal)

In 1895 Queen Victoria authorised Colonial governments to adopt various British military medals and to award them to their local military forces. The Colony of Natal introduced this system in August 1895 and, in 1897, instituted the Distinguished Conduct Medal (Natal), post-nominal letters DCM.

Origin
The Distinguished Conduct Medal, post-nominal letters DCM, was instituted by Queen Victoria on 4 December 1854, during the Crimean War, as a decoration for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration until it was discontinued in 1993. The medal could also be awarded to non-commissioned military personnel of the British Dominions and Colonies.

For all ranks below commissioned officers, the Distinguished Conduct Medal was the second highest award for gallantry in action after the Victoria Cross, and the other ranks' equivalent of the Distinguished Service Order which was awarded to commissioned officers for bravery. Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal are entitled to the post-nominal letters DCM. A Bar to the medal, introduced in 1881, could be awarded in recognition of each subsequent act of distinguished conduct for which the medal would have been awarded.

Natal Colonial Forces
In the late 19th century the Colony of Natal's armed forces consisted of the para-military Natal Police and a military Volunteer Force. The Volunteer Force was reorganised as the Natal Militia in 1904, and in 1908 the Natal Police and Natal Militia were amalgamated to form the Natal Colonial Forces.

Institution
On 31 May 1895 Queen Victoria authorised Dominion and Colonial governments to adopt various military medals and to award them to their local military forces. The Colony of Natal introduced this system in August 1895. In 1897 one of three known medals that were instituted by Natal in terms of this authority was the Distinguished Conduct Medal (Natal).

The Natal medal remained in use even after Natal became a Province of the Union of South Africa in 1910, until the first medals for the Union Defence Forces were introduced in June 1913.

Order of wear
In the order of wear prescribed by the British Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, the Distinguished Conduct Medal (Natal) ranks on par with the Distinguished Conduct Medal. It takes precedence after the Union of South Africa Queen's Medal for Bravery, Gold and before the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal.

South Africa
With effect from 6 April 1952, when a new South African set of decorations and medals was instituted to replace the British awards used to date, the older South African and British decorations and medals applicable to South Africa continued to be worn in the same order of precedence but, with the exception of the Victoria Cross, took precedence after all South African orders, decorations and medals awarded to South Africans on or after that date. In the order of wear of military honours, it takes precedence after the Air Force Cross.


 * Preceded by the Air Force Cross.
 * Succeeded by the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal.

Description
The medal was struck in silver and is a disk, 36 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick. The suspender is an ornamented scroll pattern, affixed to the medal by means of a claw and a pin through the upper edge of the medal.

The original Victorian obverse of the British Distinguished Conduct Medal shows a Trophy of Arms incorporating a central shield bearing the Royal Coat of Arms, without any inscription. From 1902, after the accession of King Edward VII, the effigy of the reigning monarch replaced the trophy of arms, with the respective titles of the monarchs inscribed around the perimeters. Known examples of the Distinguished Conduct Medal (Natal) has the effigy of King Edward VII and is inscribed "EDWARDVS VII REX IMPERATOR" around the perimeter.
 * Obverse

The reverse is smooth with a raised rim and bears the inscriptions "NATAL" in a curved line at the top and "FOR DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT IN THE FIELD" in four straight lines in the centre. The inscriptions are underlined by a small laurel wreath between two spear blades at the bottom.
 * Reverse

The ribbon is identical to that of the British Distinguished Conduct Medal, 32 millimetres wide and crimson with a 10 millimetres wide Navy blue band in the centre.
 * Ribbon

Recipients
Of the four Colonies that were to form the Union of South Africa in 1910, the Cape of Good Hope, Colony of Natal and Transvaal Colony adopted their own territorial versions of the Distinguished Conduct Medal. In June 1913 the Union of South Africa also instituted its own version of the medal, but of all these only one actually awarded the medal. Only eight of these medals were awarded, all by the Colony of Natal.