The Honoris Crux Gold (Gold Cross of Honour), post-nominal letters HCG, is a South African military decoration for bravery which was instituted in 1975. It was awarded to members of 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 ...

for outstanding acts of bravery while in extreme danger. It was the second most senior in a set of four classes of Honoris Crux decorations which replaced the discontinued Honoris Crux of 1952.South African Medal Website - Post-nominal Letters
(Retrieved 28 April 2015)

The South African military

The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912 and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1958. On 27 April 1994 it was integrated with six other independent forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
(Retrieved 30 April 2015)

Institution

The Honoris Crux Gold (Gold Cross of Honour), post-nominal letters HCG, was instituted by the State President on 1 July 1975.

Award criteria

The decoration could be awarded to members of the

for outstanding acts of bravery while in extreme danger. A Bar could be awarded for a further similar deed of bravery. It was the second most senior of a set of four classes of Honoris Crux decorations, the Honoris Crux Diamond, Honoris Crux Gold, Honoris Crux Silver and Honoris Crux, which together replaced the discontinued Honoris Crux of 1952.South African Medal Website - SA Defence Force : 1975-2003
(Retrieved 30 April 2015)

Order of wear

The position of the Honoris Crux Gold in the official order of precedence was revised four times after 1975 to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first with the discontinuation of the Honoris Crux Diamond (HCD) on 3 September 1993, then upon the integration into the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, again 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 finally with the institution of a new set of awards on 27 April 2003. ;South African Defence Force until 3 September 1993: Ribbon - Honoris Crux Diamond

*Official SADF order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Honoris Crux Diamond (HCD). ** Succeeded by the Star of South Africa, Gold (SSA). *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Honoris Crux Diamond (HCD). ** Succeeded by the Woltemade Decoration for Bravery, Gold. ;South African Defence Force until 26 April 1994: Ribbon - Castle of Good Hope Decoration

*Official SADF order of precedence, after the Honoris Crux Diamond (HCD) had been officially discontinued: ** Preceded by the Castle of Good Hope Decoration (CGH). ** Succeeded by the Star of South Africa, Gold (SSA). *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Castle of Good Hope Decoration (CGH). ** Succeeded by the Woltemade Decoration for Bravery, Gold.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette no. 15093, Pretoria, 3 September 1993 ;South African National Defence Force from 27 April 1994: UK Victoria Cross ribbon bar

*Official SANDF order of precedence, after the Castle of Good Hope Decoration (CGH) had been officially discontinued: ** Preceded by 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 previousl ...

(VC) 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 ...

.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. ** Succeeded by the Star of South Africa, Gold (SSA) of the

Republic of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countr ...

. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Victoria Cross (VC) of the United Kingdom. ** Succeeded by the Woltemade Decoration for Bravery, Gold of the

.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, ;South African National Defence Force from April 1996: UK Victoria Cross ribbon bar

*Official SANDF order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Victoria Cross (VC) of the United Kingdom. ** Succeeded by the Gold Star for Bravery (GSB) of the

. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Victoria Cross (VC) of the United Kingdom. ** Succeeded by the Woltemade Decoration for Bravery, Gold of the

. ;South African National Defence Force from 27 April 2003: UK Victoria Cross ribbon bar

*Official SANDF order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Victoria Cross (VC) of the United Kingdom. ** Succeeded by the Gold Star for Bravery (GSB) of the

. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Order of Mapungubwe, Platinum (OMP) of the

. ** Succeeded by the Woltemade Decoration for Bravery, Gold of the

Description

;Obverse The Honoris Crux Gold is a silver-gilt Maltese cross which fits in a circle 45 millimetres in diameter, with two swords in

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French ''sautoir'', Medieval Latin ''saltatori ...

surmounted by a circular protea wreath, the arms of the cross in green enamel, with a roundel in the centre tierced horizontally in the orange, white and blue bands of the national flag, framed in a double silver circle containing 24 stones. Apart from being silver-gilt instead of silver and having a more ornate ribbon suspender, it is identical to the Honoris Crux Silver in all respects. ;Reverse The reverse has the pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms, with the decoration number underneath. ;Bar The bar is of silver-gilt with a miniature replica of the Maltese cross embossed in the centre. Only one bar was ever made, after the Bar to the HCG was awarded to Captain Arthur Walker HCG. In lieu of the Bar, he was initially presented with a Clasp for 40 years of service to the Permanent Force Good Service Medal, also in silver-gilt, until one was eventually manufactured especially for him in 1991. ;Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and orange, with a single 1 millimetre wide white band in the centre.

Discontinuation

Conferment of the decoration was discontinued in 1992.

Recipients

Since inclusion in the table itself is impractical, the actions cited for follow below the table.

Actions cited for

References

{{South African military decorations and medals Military decorations and medals of South Africa Courage awards 1975 establishments in South Africa Awards established in 1975