Badge of Honour
Award
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Badge of Honour, accompanied by the King's Certificate and Badge of Honour, is a civil award previously presented by the governments of British colonies and protectorates, and now by British Overseas Territories, to recognise loyal and valuable service by native chiefs and other non-European dignitaries.[3] The Badge of Honour and Certificate continue to be awarded for meritorious services to the local community of an exceptional or outstanding nature[1] in Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda[4][5][6][7] and St Helena.[8]
| Badge of Honour | |
|---|---|
 Ribbon of the badge | |
| Type | Civil decoration |
| Awarded for | Meritorious services to the community of an exceptional or outstanding nature[1] |
| Presented by | British Overseas Territories & formerly by colonies of the British Empire |
| Order of Wear | |
| Next (higher) | Queen's Medal for Chiefs[2] |
| Next (lower) | Campaign medals[2] |
The decoration has occasionally been awarded to Europeans.[3] For example, the New Hebrides version of the Badge of Honour was awarded to the Duke of Gloucester and two British Army officers, including then-Colonel Charles Guthrie, for their role in the so-called 'Coconut War' of 1980.[9]
Different versions
There are two distinct types of badge, one for African territories established in 1922, and a non-African version, awarded since 1926.[9]
The African version was an oval bronze badge similar in appearance to the Queen's Medal for Chiefs, with non-African countries bestowing a circular silver-gilt badge. Otherwise, both types follow the same design, with the reigning Sovereign's crowned effigy on the obverse, and the name of the territory and a distinct emblem symbolic of that country on the reverse. Both have a raised ornamental rim of laurel leaves.[10]
Both versions came in two sizes, a larger badge worn around the neck and a smaller badge, introduced in 1954, for recipients who opted to wear the decoration on the left breast with other medals. Both use the same watered bright yellow ribbon,[9] with some South East Asian territories[11] adopting a red, white and blue ribbon.[10]