TracesOfWar needs your help! Every euro, pound or dollar you contribute greatly supports the continuation of this website. Go to stiwot.nl and donate!

Distinguished Service Order (DSO)

This Order was instituted on November 9th 1886 by Queen Victoria to reward individuals for meritorious or distinguished service in wartime. This is a military Order for officers only, and while normally given for services under fire or under conditions equivalent to service in actual combat with the enemy, between 1914 and 1916 it was awarded under circumstances which could not be regarded as under fire.

After January 1st 1917, commanders in the field were instructed to recommend this award only for those serving under fire. Many DSO’s were awarded to squadron commanders for a long period of leadership but in some cases it was awarded to junior officers for just one operation.
Prior to 1943, the Order could be awarded only to someone ‘Mentioned in Despatches’. The Order is generally given to officers in command, above the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and awards to ranks below this are usually for a high degree of gallantry just short of deserving the Victoria Cross. The Royal Warrant for this award was published in the London Gazette on November 9th 1886.

A bar is awarded for an act which would have merited the Order in the first place. The bar is plain gold with an Imperial Crown in the centre. The year of conferment is engraved on the reverse of the bar.

The medal is a gold coloured cross and on the obverse, within a wreath of laurel, enamelled green, is the Imperial Crown in gold on a red enamelled ground. On the reverse, within a wreath of laurel, enamelled green, is the Royal Cipher in gold on a red enamelled ground.
The red ribbon is 1.125 inches wide with narrow vertical blue edges.

A rosette is worn in undress uniform to signify the possession of a bar.The award is issued unnamed, but some recipients have privately had their names engraved on the back of the award or suspension bar.

Total issued unto 1983 : 1291, including 113 first bars and 18 second bars.

Grid List
NameDate of birthDate of deathAwards
Waddell, Robert Charles Arthur06-07-191505-04-1975
Wade, Lance Cleo00-00-191512-01-1944
Wainwright, John Alfred  
Walker, Frederick John03-06-189609-07-1944more
Walker, Harold Allen  
Walker, Peter Russell00-00-191400-00-1980
Waller, Hector Macdonald Laws "Hard Over Hec"04-04-190001-03-1942more
Waller, James06-09-1911 more
Waller, Robert Peel00-00-1895 
Wallis, Charles Brian Berry 24-07-1942
Walsh, Geoffrey19-08-190003-04-1999
Walter, Peter Challice  
Wanklyn, Malcolm David28-06-191114-04-1942
Warburton, Adrian "Warby"10-03-191812-04-1944
Ware, Cameron Bethel09-08-191321-01-1999
Wark, Blair Anderson27-07-189413-06-1941more
Warnes, Geoffrey22-10-191422-02-1944
Warr, Peter Esmond  
Warrack, Graeme Matthew27-06-191313-01-1985
Warren, William Henry Farrington19-10-187713-04-1918
Washbourn, Richard Everley14-02-191008-08-1988
Watkins, William David Gordon "Four-Run"11-09-190826-06-1965more
Watson, Anthony  more
Watson, William de Norban "Bucko"00-10-191906-02-1992
Watts, Jack Vincent00-00-192000-00-2019more
Webb, George Clifford 14-04-1945
Webb, Joseph Leroy24-04-191924-03-1997
Webster, Alexander  
Wedd, William Basil01-05-189006-11-1966more
Well Groeneveld, van, Carel Adrianus Johannes12-05-190604-03-1942
Wells, Edward Preston26-07-191601-11-2005
Welsh, George Arthur "Tiger"28-07-189616-02-1965
Wemyss, Henry Colville Barclay26-04-189102-04-1959
Westlake, George Herbert21-04-191818-01-2006
Wheatley, Percival Ross 00-01-1988
Whelan, James Roger29-04-191408-03-1985
Whistler, Lashmer Gordon "Bolo"03-09-189804-07-1963more
Whitaker, William Denis27-02-191530-05-2001
White, Cyril Brudenell Bingham23-06-187613-08-1940more
White, Franklyn Everhart  
Whitehead, David Adie "Torpy"30-09-189623-10-1992more
Whitworth, John Nicholas Haworth10-01-191213-11-1974
Whymark, John Percy09-01-192004-10-1945
Wickham, Peter Reginald Whalley26-03-191829-04-1970more
Wiggins, Albert Lloyd  
Wigle, Frederick Ernest11-07-191314-04-1945
Wilkinson, William Alexander Camac08-12-189219-12-1983
William-Powlett, Peveril Barton Reiby Wallop05-03-189810-11-1985
Williams, John Llewellyn  
Williams-Thomas, Reginald Silvers  
Willis, Algernon Usborne17-05-188912-04-1976more
Willis, George Geoffrey Lightly 17-07-1943
Willson, Walter James Latimer 00-00-1994
Wilson, Arnold Talbot18-07-188431-05-1940
Wilson, Bernard Alexander  
Wilson, Eric McKay  
Wilson, Guy Greville19-05-187701-02-1943more
Wilson, Henry Maitland "Jumbo", 1st Baron Wilson05-09-188131-12-1964more
Wilson, Maurice Fiennes Fitzgerald22-06-188616-02-1975
Wilson, Robert04-11-191100-04-2002
Wilson, Stanley Livingston17-04-190502-06-1990more
Windeyer, William John Victor28-07-190023-11-1987more
Windsor, Elizabeth II (Queen Elizabeth II)21-04-192608-09-2022more
Windsor, George VI14-12-189506-02-1952more
Windsor-Lewis, James Charles00-00-190727-10-1964more
Wingate, Orde Charles26-02-190324-03-1944
Wingfield, Charles Mervyn Hunt 28-05-1944
Winhold, Lloyd Christian  
Wishart, William Geoffrey 21-02-1945
Witholt, Arend Winter25-04-191217-08-1987
Witt, Dennis Theodore27-09-1915 
Wohner, John H.31-12-191523-12-2005
Woodroffe, John 09-10-1957
Wootten, George Frederick01-05-189331-03-1970more
Worsley, Richard Stanley 04-05-1917
Wotherspoon, Gordon Doward de Salaberry  
Wright, John Roger Bodley00-00-191913-11-1943
Wynter, Henry Douglas06-06-188607-02-1945more

Sources