The V. C. and D. S. O. Distinguished Service Order 1886-1915: Distinguished Service Order. 6Th September 1886 To The 31St December 1915

The DSO was instituted on 6th September 1886, and the Bar to the Order on 23rd August 1916. This book provides a complete record of the recipients of the DSO from its institution in September 1886 to 31st December 1915, with descriptions of the deeds and services for which the awards was given and with many biographical and other details. It was compiled from official publications (including the London Gazette citations) and despatches, letters from commanding officers and other contemporary accounts, including private sources. There are photos of a large number of the recipients. The book opens with the Statutes of the Order, including the original promulgation and the Statutes promulgated on 1st April 1918 by command of King George V, in which all previous rules and ordinances were “abrogated, cancelled and annulled” and new rules and regulations governing the Order introduced. The first recipient of the DSO was Queen Victoria. The wording of the citations are included in the biographical details. Finally there is an index of names. This history is a remarkable record and a piece of research of lasting value.