Distinguished Service Order

Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order ;
	Obverse and reverse, reign of George V
Awarded by United Kingdom and Commonwealth
Type	Order with one degree
Established	6 September 1886
Eligibility	Members of the armed forces
Awarded for	"Distinguished services during active operations against the enemy."
Status	Currently awarded
Sovereign	Charles III
Grades	Companion
Statistics
Total inductees	Victoria: 1,646; Edward VII: 78; George V: 9,900; George VI: 4,943;
Precedence
Next (higher)	Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Next (lower)	Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order
	; Ribbon bar of the order; ;

The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful command and leadership during active operations, typically in actual combat. Since 1993 it has been awarded specifically for "highly successful command and leadership during active operations", with all ranks being eligible.^[5] It is a level 2A decoration (order) in the British system of military decorations.

^ "Defence Internet | Fact Sheets | Guide to Honours". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
^ Abbott & Tamplin 1981, p. 124–125. Confirms 1,732 prior to World War I: 1,646 to 1902, 78 to 1910 and 8 to 1914.
^ Medal Yearbook 2015. Honiton, Devon: Token Publishing. 2015. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-908-828-16-3.
^ "No. 56878". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 March 2003. p. 3351.
^ Cite error: The named reference dsomod was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] "Defence Internet | Fact Sheets | Guide to Honours". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.

[FOOTNOTEAbbottTamplin1981124–125-2] Abbott & Tamplin 1981, p. 124–125. Confirms 1,732 prior to World War I: 1,646 to 1902, 78 to 1910 and 8 to 1914.

[Yearbook-3] Medal Yearbook 2015. Honiton, Devon: Token Publishing. 2015. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-908-828-16-3.

[4] "No. 56878". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 March 2003. p. 3351.

[dsomod-5] Cite error: The named reference dsomod was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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