- Distinguished Service Medal (United Kingdom)
-
For other uses, see Distinguished Service Medal (disambiguation).
Distinguished Service Medal 
Obverse of medal and ribbonAwarded by UK and Commonwealth Type Military decoration. Eligibility other ranks of the British and (formerly) Commonwealth forces Awarded for set an example of bravery and resource under fire Status Discontinued in 1993 Statistics Established 14 October 1914 First awarded 1914 Precedence Next (higher) Conspicuous Gallantry Medal Equivalent Military Medal
Distinguished Flying Medal
Air Force MedalNext (lower) Mentioned in Despatches 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 14 October 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.
Description
- A circular silver medal, 36mm in diameter. The obverse bears the crowned effigy of the reigning monarch.
- The reverse has the inscription 'FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE' in three lines, within a laurel wreath surmounted by an Imperial crown.
- The suspender is plain and straight.
- The ribbon is 1.25 inches wide and consists of three equal stripes: dark blue, white, and dark blue, with a thin dark blue stripe down the centre of the white.
- Bars authorised for subsequent awards. Bars issued during the First World War were dated on the reverse while those awarded during the Second World War are undated.
Ribbon bars of the Distinguished Service Medal 
DSM
DSM and BarSee also
- British and Commonwealth orders and decorations
- Australian Honours Order of Precedence
United Kingdom Decorations and Medals for Gallantry, Valour, Distinguished Service and Meritorious Service Current awards Level 1Level 2A_
Distinguished Service Order (DSO) • 
Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) • 
Royal Red Cross Class I (RRC)Level 3A_
_ 
Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) • _
Military Cross (MC) • 
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) • 
Air Force Cross (AFC) • Royal Red Cross Class II (ARRC)Level 2BLevel 3B
Constabulary Medal (Ireland) • 
Medal for Saving Life at Sea (SGM) • 
Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM) • 
Royal Victorian Medal (RVM) • 
British Empire Medal (BEM) • 
Queen's Police Medal, for Distinguished Service (QPM) • 
Queen's Fire Service Medal, for Distinguished Service (QFSM) • 
Queen's Volunteer Reserves Medal (QVRM) • 
Queen’s Medal for Chiefs • 
Polar MedalLevel 4Other awardsBadge of Honour
Obsolete awards Levels 1 / 2ALevel 3A
Order of British India (First Class) (OBI) • 
Order of British India (Second Class) (OBI) • 
Kaisar-i-Hind, Gold • Kaisar-i-Hind, Silver • Kaisar-i-Hind, BronzeLevel 2B_
_ _ _ _ 
__ _ _ 
Albert Medal (AM) • __ _ 
Edward Medal (EM) • __ Empire Gallantry Medal (EGM) • _
Union of South Africa Queen's Medal for Bravery (Gold) • 
Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) • 
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM) • 
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (Flying) (CGM)Level 3B_
_ _ _ _ 
Royal West African Frontier Force Distinguished Conduct Medal • __ _ _ King's African Rifles Distinguished Conduct Medal • __ _ 
Indian Distinguished Service Medal (IDSM) • __ Union of South Africa Queen's Medal for Bravery (Silver) • _
Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) • 
Military Medal (MM) • 
Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) • __ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
Air Force Medal (AFM) __ _ _ _ _ _ 
Indian Order of Merit (Third Class) (IOM) • __ _ _ _ _ 
Burma Gallantry Medal (BGM) • __ _ _ _ 
Indian Police Medal, for Gallantry • __ _ _ 
Ceylon Police Medal, for Gallantry • __ _ 
Sierra Leone Police Medal, for Gallantry • __ 
Sierra Leone Fire Brigades Medal, for Gallantry • _
Colonial Police Medal, for Gallantry (CPM) • 
Canada Medal (CM) • 
Indian Police Medal, for Meritorious Service • 
Ceylon Police Medal, for Merit • 
Sierra Leone Police Medal, for Meritorious Service • 
Sierra Leone Fire Brigades Medal, for Meritorious Service • 
Colonial Police Medal, for Meritorious Service (CPM)Level 4Categories:- Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom
- Decorations of the Royal Navy
- Decorations of the Merchant Navy
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
