In 1895, Queen Victoria authorised Colonial governments to adopt various British military decorations and medals and to award them to their local military forces. The

Colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Natalia Republic, Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three o ...

introduced this system in August 1895 and, in 1897, instituted the Distinguished Conduct Medal (Natal), post-nominal letters DCM.South African Medal Website – Colonial Military Forces
(Accessed 6 May 2015)

Origin

The

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria 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, ranki ...

was instituted by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

in 1854, during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

, as a decoration for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. The medal could also be awarded to non-commissioned military personnel of the British Dominions and Colonies.New Zealand Defence Force – British Commonwealth Gallantry, Meritorious and Distinguished Service Awards – The Distinguished Conduct Medal
(Access date 19 May 2015) For all ranks below commissioned officer, the Distinguished Conduct Medal was the second highest award for gallantry in action after 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 ...

, and the other ranks' equivalent of 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, ty ...

, awarded to commissioned officers. Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal are entitled to the post-nominal letters DCM.TracesOfWar.com – Distinguished Conduct Medal
(Access date 19 May 2015)

Natal Colonial Forces

In the late 19th century, the

'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

introduced this system in August 1895. In 1897, the Distinguished Conduct Medal (Natal) was one of three known decorations and medals which were instituted by Natal under this authority. The Natal medal remained current even after Natal became a Province of the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...

in 1910, until the first medals for the Union Defence Forces were introduced in June 1913.South African Medal Website – Union Defence Forces (1913–1939)
(Accessed 9 May 2015)

Order of wear

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 ...

, 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 The Union of South Africa Queen's Medal for Bravery, Gold was the highest South African civilian decoration during the period from 1952 to 1961, while the country was still a constitutional monarchy in the British Commonwealth. The decoration wa ...

(a civilian honour) and before the

Conspicuous Gallantry Medal The Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM) was, until 1993, a British military decoration for gallantry in action for petty officers and seamen of the Royal Navy, including Warrant Officers and other ranks of the Royal Marines. It was formerly awa ...

South Africa

On 6 April 1952 the

instituted its own range of military decorations and medals. These new awards were worn before all earlier British decorations and medals awarded to South Africans, with the exception of the

, which still took precedence before all other awards. Of the official British medals applicable to South Africans, the Natal DCM took precedence after the Air Force Cross.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.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, Ribbon - Air Force Cross

* Preceded by the Air Force Cross. * Succeeded by the

Description

The medal was struck in silver and is a disk, in diameter and 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.Veterans Affairs Canada – Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM)
(Access date 18 December 2022) ;Obverse 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. From 1902, after the accession of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

, his effigy with the inscription "EDWARDVS VII REX IMPERATOR" around the perimeter replaced the trophy of arms.firstworldwar.com Encyclopedia – Distinguished Conduct Medal
(Access date 19 May 2015) ;Reverse 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. ;Ribbon 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.

Recipients

Of the four Colonies which were to form the Union of South Africa in 1910, the Cape of Good Hope, Colony of Natal and

Transvaal Colony The Transvaal Colony () was the name used to refer to the Transvaal region during the period of direct British rule and military occupation between the end of the Second Boer War in 1902 when the South African Republic was dissolved, and the ...

adopted their own territorial versions of the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Of these, only Natal actually awarded the medal, with ten awards made, one in 1901 for 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 South ...

(with the trophy of arms obverse) and nine for the

Zulu Rebellion The Bambatha Rebellion (or the Zulu Rebellion) of 1906 was led by Bambatha kaMancinza (c. 1860–1906?), leader of the Zondi clan of the Zulu people, who lived in the Mpanza Valley (now a district near Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal) against British ...

of 1906 (with Edward VII's effigy on the obverse). In June 1913 the Union of South Africa instituted its own version of the DCM, but this was never awarded, with members of the Union Defence Forces awarded the British version during the two World Wars.

References

{{South African military decorations and medals Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Courage awards Military decorations and medals of South Africa Military decorations and medals of South Africa pre-1952