Badge of Honour

The Badge of Honour, accompanied by the Queen'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]

This article is about the British Overseas Territories award. For other similarly titled awards, see Badge of honour. For the W.E.B. Griffin novel series, see Badge of Honor.
Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour
Ribbon of the badge
TypeCivil decoration
Awarded forMeritorious services to the community of an exceptional or outstanding nature[1]
Presented byBritish 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 Colonel (later Field Marshal the Lord) 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]

References
  1. "Nomination form for Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour" (PDF). Government of Bermuda, Cabinet Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 November 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  2. "No. 62529". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 January 2019. p. 327.
  3. The Journal of the Orders and Medals Research Society, Volume 18, No 4. Winter 1979. p. 298.
  4. "Gibraltar Chronicle - The Independent Daily First Published 1801". Chronicle.gi. 2013-04-20. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  5. "Nominations invited for Falklands award - News articles - Inside Government". GOV.UK. 2013-05-15. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  6. "Governor of the Cayman Islands invites nominations for honours - News articles - Inside Government". GOV.UK. 2013-04-23. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  7. "Her Majesty The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2013". Govsubportal.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  8. “Rules Governing the Award of Certificates and Badges of Honour”. St Helena Statutory Rules and Orders 1957, No. 24
  9. Mussell, John, ed. (2015). The Medal Yearbook 2015. Honiton, Devon, UK: Token Publishing Ltd. p. 306. ISBN 9781908828163.
  10. Captain H. Taprell Dorling. Ribbons and Medals. pp. 197-108. A.H.Baldwin & Sons, London. 1956.
  11. The red, white and blue ribbon was awarded by Hong-Kong, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore.
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