Distinguished Service Medal (United Kingdom)
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- For other uses, see Distinguished Service Medal (disambiguation).
The Distinguished Service Medal was (until 1993) a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Navy and members of the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, up to and including the rank of Chief Petty Officer, for bravery and resourcefulness on active service at sea.
The medal was established on October 14, 1914. It was the other ranks' equivalent to the Distinguished Service Cross, which was awarded to commissioned officers and Warrant Officers, although it ranked below that decoration in order of precedence, between the George Medal and the Military Medal. Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal are entitled to use the post-nominal letters "DSM". In 1993, the DSM was discontinued, and since then the Distinguished Service Cross has been awarded to personnel of all ranks.
[edit] Description
- Shape: circle
- Material: silver
- Dimensions: 36 mm in diameter
- Features: Crowned effigy of King George V or King George VI or Queen Elizabeth II
- Ribbon: Three stripes of dark blue, white and dark blue with a thin dark blue stripe in the centre of the white
