Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst
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The ''Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst'', post-nominal letters DTD, is a South African military decoration. It was instituted in 1920 as a retrospective award for
Boer Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape Colony, Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controll ...
officers of the 1899–1902
Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
.Alexander, E.G.M., Barron, G.K.B. and Bateman, A.J. (1986). ''South African Orders, Decorations and Medals''. Human and Rousseau.Monick, S, (1988). ''South African Military Awards 1912–1987''. South African National Museum of Military History.South African Medal Website - Boer Republican Forces
(Accessed 2 May 2015)

(Accessed 28 April 2015)


Institution

The ''Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst'' (Decoration for Devoted Service), post-nominal letters DTD, was instituted in terms of Government Notice no. 2307 dated 21 December 1920 and published in the Union of South Africa Government Gazette of 24 December 1920. It was a retrospective award for distinguished and especially meritorious service by
Boer Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape Colony, Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controll ...
veteran officers during the
Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
between 11 October 1899 and 31 May 1902. Since neither of the two Boer Republics, the
South African Republic The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...
(Transvaal) and the
Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...
, had official honours systems of their own, the decoration was created to afford Boer veteran officers who were serving as members of the Union Defence Forces parity with their fellow South Africans who had fought on the British side in the war. During the Second Boer War, Republican commanders were instructed to record the names of members of their forces who distinguished themselves in the field. The names were to be sent to the War Council for confirmation and publication in the ''Staats Courant'' (Government Gazette) with the intention to award a medal after conclusion of hostilities. Since the Republican forces were defeated, however, the intended medal never became a reality. The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912. In 1913, Colonel Skinner, Commandant of the Military School in Bloemfontein, remarked on the fact that some of the officers attending a course, who had fought valiantly in the Republican Forces, were without medal ribbons whilst their brother officers, who had served on the British side, were all well decorated. Colonel Skinner made representations to Defence Headquarters to have this omission rectified but, due to the outbreak of the First World War, nothing was done about the matter until 1920, when the ''Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst'', the ''
Medalje voor de Anglo-Boere Oorlog The ''Medalje voor de Anglo-Boere Oorlog'' is a South African military campaign medal. It was instituted on 21 December 1920 as a retrospective award for Boer veteran officers and men who fought in the 1899–1902 Second Boer War.Alexander, E.G ...
'' and the ''
Lint voor Verwonding The ''Lint voor Verwonding'' (Wound Riband) is a South African military campaign award. It was instituted on 21 December 1920 as a retrospective award for Boer veteran officers and men of the 1899–1902 Second Boer War who had been wounded in ...
'' were instituted by
King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
.


Award criteria

The ''Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst'' could be awarded to officers of the military forces of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State whose service during the Second Boer War of 1899 to 1902 had been of such a distinguished and meritorious nature that, in the opinion of the Minister of Defence, they deserved special recognition. Recipients had to be serving members of the Union Defence Forces, or available to be called up for service in terms of the South African Defence Act of 1912. The gazetted regulations, in effect, actually excluded many men who had fought on the Boer side, such as the members of the various foreign units and potentially also the Natal and Cape rebels.


Order of wear

Even though the ''Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst'' was instituted on behalf of
King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
by His Royal Highness, the Governor General of the Union of South Africa, the decoration was never listed in the order of wear prescribed by the British
Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, or simply the Central Chancery, is an office of the Lord Chamberlain’s department within the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the administration of or ...
.


South Africa

In the South African order of wear, however, the ''Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst'' took precedence in wearing and officially ranked above the British Distinguished Service Order. 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 awards continued to be worn in the same order of precedence but, with the exception of the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
, took precedence after all South African orders, decorations and medals awarded to South Africans on or after that date.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, The official South African order of wear was revised in 1994 to include the military decorations and medals of the defence forces of the Republics of
Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ban ...
,
Bophuthatswana Bophuthatswana (, meaning "gathering of the Tswana people"), officially the Republic of Bophuthatswana ( tn, Riphaboliki ya Bophuthatswana; af, Republiek van Bophuthatswana), was a Bantustan (also known as "Homeland"; an area set aside for mem ...
,
Venda Venda () was a Bantustan in northern South Africa, which is fairly close to the South African border with Zimbabwe to the north, while to the south and east, it shared a long border with another black homeland, Gazankulu. It is now part of the ...
and
Ciskei Ciskei (, or ) was a Bantustan for the Xhosa people-located in the southeast of South Africa. It covered an area of , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian O ...
which were integrated with the
South African Defence Force The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag'') comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence F ...
(SADF) into the
South African National Defence Force The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the Military, armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the Military branch, armed services. They are in turn a ...
(SANDF) on 27 April 1994.South African Medal Website - South African National Defence Force
(Accessed 1 May 2015)
;South African Defence Force until 26 April 1994: *Official SADF order of precedence: ** Preceded by the
National Cadet Bisley Grand Champion Medal The National Cadet Bisley Grand Champion Medal is a military medal which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1987. Originally named the Cadet Corps Grand Champion Shot Medal, it was awarded to the Grand Champion of the annual Nat ...
.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette no. 15093, Pretoria, 3 September 1993 ** Succeeded by the
Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
(DSO) of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.Government Notice no. 1982 of 1 October 1954 - ''Order of Precedence of Orders, Decorations and Medals'', published in the Government Gazette of 1 October 1954. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the
George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...
(GC) of the United Kingdom. ** Succeeded by the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) of the United Kingdom. ;South African National Defence Force from 27 April 1994: *Official SANDF order of precedence: ** Preceded by the
State President's Medal for Shooting The State President's Medal for Shooting was instituted by the State President of the Republic of Bophuthatswana in 1990, for award to champion shots. The Bophuthatswana Defence Force The Bophuthatswana Defence Force (BDF) was established upo ...
of the Republic of Bophuthatswana. ** Succeeded by the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) of the United Kingdom. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the
George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...
(GC) of the United Kingdom. ** Succeeded by the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) of the United Kingdom. The position of the ''Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst'' in the official order of wear remained unchanged in April 1996, when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted for the two former non-statutory forces, the
Azanian People's Liberation Army The Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), formerly known as Poqo, was the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, an African nationalist movement in South Africa. In the Xhosa language, the word 'Poqo' means 'pure'. After attacks on ...
and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and again upon the institution of a new set of awards on 27 April 2003.


Description

The decoration was struck in silver and is a disk, in diameter and thick at the raised rim. It is affixed to a fixed bar suspender by means of claws and a pin through the upper edge of the medal. The rank and name of the recipient are impressed on the rim. ;Equal sides Neither side of the decoration is considered as the reverse. Both sides depict an encircled coat of arms on a
cross pattée A cross pattée, cross patty or cross paty, also known as a cross formy or cross formée (french: croix pattée, german: Tatzenkreuz), is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre, and often flared in a curve or straight ...
, encircled around the perimeter by the words "VOOR TROUWE DIENST" above and the years "1899 • 1902" below. One side has the coat of arms of the South African Republic in the centre of the cross and the other side has that of the Orange Free State. This enabled each recipient to wear the medal so as to display the coat of arms of the state under whose flag he had fought. ;Ribbon The ribbon is wide and in the combined colours of the two former Republics. While these colours were gazetted as red, green, white, blue and orange, the orange appears as yellow on the actual ribbons. As worn by a South African Republic veteran, it has a 12 millimetres wide blue band in the centre, edged by a 3 millimetres wide red and a 7 millimetres wide green bands on the left and a 7 millimetres wide orange and a 3 millimetres wide white bands on the right. An Orange Free State veteran would wear the ribbon reversed, with the white band at left.


Recipients

Altogether 655 decorations were awarded between 1921 and 1946, all but one to officers. The sole exception was the award to Burgher A. Kuit, who was awarded the decoration for his service whilst occupying the position of ''Inspekteur van Veldpos'' (Inspector of Field Post). A complete list of recipients of the ''Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst'' was published in the Military History Journals of the South African Military History Society, Volume 1, Numbers 1 and 2, in December 1967 and June 1968 respectively.


Discontinuation

The original closing date for applications was 30 June 1921, but this was not strictly adhered to. Award of the decoration was discontinued on 31 December 1946 and the last decoration was dispatched on 22 January 1947, to Kaptein M. C. Avis of General Smuts' Commando.


References

{{South African military decorations and medals Military decorations and medals of South Africa Military decorations and medals of South Africa pre-1952 Second Boer War South African Republic Orange Free State