The Conspicuous Gallantry Decoration was

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

's highest

civil decoration Civil awards and decorations are awarded to civilians for distinguished service or for eminence in a field of endeavour. Military personnel might also be eligible for services of a non-military nature. There are various forms of civil awards and d ...

and the second-highest award available to members of the armed forces. It was awarded for acts of the highest gallantry and brave conduct of an outstanding order in a non-combatant capacity.

Institution

The award was instituted in 1970 by Presidential Warrant, the first award being made in 1977. The second and final award was made in 1979.

Medal

The medal was a

sterling silver Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925. ''Fine silver'', which is 99.9% pure silver, is r ...

circular medal bearing the "wounded lion" device used by the

British South Africa Police The British South Africa Police (BSAP) was, for most of its existence, the police force of Rhodesia (renamed Zimbabwe in 1980). It was formed as a paramilitary force of mounted infantrymen in 1889 by Cecil Rhodes' British South Africa Company, from ...

, highlighted with gold plate; suspended by a V-shaped suspender from a bar bearing the motto ''RHODESIA'', suspended by a scarlet ribbon. The medal was impressed in small capitals with the recipient's name on the rim, and was awarded with a case of issue, miniature medal for wear, and an illuminated certificate.

Recipients

Just two awards of the Conspicuous Gallantry Decoration were gazetted. The first was made posthumously in 1977 to

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n-born engineer Rudi Kogler, from

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...

, for his actions defending the Regina Mundi Mission in

Matabeleland Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi r ...

against an insurgent attack. Two years later, teenager

Jamie Scott Jamie Scott (born James Christopher Needle; 12 February 1984) is an Ivor Novello Award winning English singer, songwriter and producer. Career Songwriting As a writer and producer Scott has sold over 100 million albums, 50 million singles, has ...

from Salisbury was awarded the medal for his valour in defending himself and a friend against an insurgent attack. Recipients were entitled to the

post-nominal 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, ...

letters C.G.D. Research carried out by the

Zimbabwe Medal Society Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

in 2003-5 indicates that there were probably at least two other awards of the Conspicuous Gallantry Decoration made to civilians, but for security reasons never published in the ''Rhodesian Government

Gazette A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

''.''Journal of the Zimbabwe Medal Society'', 2004

Zimbabwe

The Conspicuous Gallantry Decoration was superseded in October 1980 by the Gold Cross of

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

, which is awarded for conspicuous bravery in perilous conditions, but which is open for award to civilians as well as military personnel.

References

*Saffery, D., 2006. ''The Rhodesia Medal Roll''
Jeppestown Press
United Kingdom. {{ISBN, 0-9553936-0-4

External links

Military awards and decorations of Rhodesia Courage awards 1970 establishments in Rhodesia 1980 disestablishments in Zimbabwe Awards established in 1970