Southern Cross Decoration

The Southern Cross Decoration, post-nominal letters SD, is a South African military decoration for merit which was instituted by the Republic on 1 July 1975. It was awarded to officers of the South African Defence Force for outstanding service of the highest order and utmost devotion to duty.[1][2][3][4][5]

Southern Cross Decoration
Awarded by the State President and, from 1994, the President
Country	South Africa
Type	Military decoration for merit
Eligibility	Officers
Awarded for	Outstanding service of the highest order and utmost devotion to duty
Status	Discontinued in 2003
Post-nominals	SD
Statistics
Established	1975
First awarded	1976
SADF pre-1994 & SANDF post-2002 orders of wear
Next (higher)	SADF precedence: Pro Virtute Decoration SANDF precedence: Pro Virtute Decoration
Next (lower)	SADF succession: Pro Merito Decoration SANDF succession: Pro Merito Decoration
Ribbon bar

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).[3][6][7]

Institution

The Southern Cross Decoration, post-nominal letters SD, was instituted by the State President on 1 July 1975.[1][3]

Award criteria

The decoration could be awarded to officers of the South African Defence Force for outstanding service of the highest order and utmost devotion to duty. A Bar was instituted in 1993, to be awarded in recognition of further similar displays of outstanding service of the highest order and utmost devotion to duty. The equivalent award for other ranks was the Pro Merito Decoration (PMD).[1][3][4][5]

Although not prescribed, the practice was generally that recipients must already have received the Southern Cross Medal (SM).[3]

The first recipient was Admiral Hugo Biermann SSA OBE GCIH, who received the decoration upon his retirement as Chief of the South African Defence Force in 1976.[3]

Order of wear

Main article: South African military decorations order of wear § Order of wear

The position of the Southern Cross Decoration in the official order of precedence was revised three times, to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first upon the integration into the South African National Defence Force in 1994, again when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted in April 1996 for the two former non-statutory forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and again upon the institution of a new set of awards in 2003, but it remained unchanged on all three occasions.[8][9]

Official SANDF order of precedence

• Preceded by the Pro Virtute Decoration (PVD).
• Succeeded by the Pro Merito Decoration (PMD).[8][9]

Official national order of precedence

• Preceded by the Pro Virtute Decoration (PVD).
• Succeeded by the Pro Merito Decoration (PMD).[8][9]

Description

Obverse

The Southern Cross Decoration is a silver-gilt double Maltese cross, which fits in a circle 45 millimetres in diameter. The arms of the cross are in white enamel, with the stars of the Southern Cross on a framed roundel, in dark blue enamel, in the centre. A protea attaches the decoration to the ribbon hanger.[3][10]

Reverse

The reverse has the pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms in the centre, with the decoration number impressed above and the silver hallmark below.[10]

Southern Cross Decoration and Bar

Bar

The Bar is silver-gilt and has an emblem, depicting a Protea, embossed in the centre. The same Bar was used to indicate multiple awards of the Pro Virtute Decoration, Southern Cross Decoration, Pro Merito Decoration and Ad Astra Decoration.[11]

Ribbon

The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and dark blue, with two 1 millimetre wide white bands in the centre, 4 millimetres apart.[10]

Discontinuation

Conferment of the decoration was discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003, when the Southern Cross Decoration and the Pro Merito Decoration (PMD) were both replaced by the new iPhrothiya yeGolide (PG).[7][12]

References

1. South African Medal Website - Post-nominal Letters (Accessed 28 April 2015)
2. SA Army - Uniform: Former Forces Medals - South African Defence Force (SADF)
3. South African Medal Website - SA Defence Force : 1975-2003 (Accessed 30 April 2015)
4. Alexander, E.G.M., Barron, G.K.B. and Bateman, A.J. (1986). South African Orders, Decorations and Medals. Human and Rousseau.
5. Monick, S, (1988). South African Military Awards 1912-1987. South African National Museum of Military History.
6. South African Medal Website - SA Defence Force : 1952-1975 (Accessed 30 April 2015)
7. Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 457, no. 25213, Pretoria, 25 July 2003
8. Republic of South Africa Government Gazette no. 15093, Pretoria, 3 September 1993
9. Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, OCLC 72827981
10. Southern Cross Decoration (SD)
11. Mussell, John W.; Editorial Team of Medal News (2004). Mackay, James (ed.). The Medal Yearbook 2004. Devon, UK: Token Publishing Ltd. p. 380. ISBN 978-1-870192-62-0.
12. Republic of South Africa Government Gazette no. 26778, Pretoria, 17 September 2004