Honoris Crux Diamond

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Honoris Crux Diamond
Honoris Crux Diamond medal.jpg
Awarded by the State President
CountryFlag of South Africa (1928-1994).svg  South Africa
Type Military decoration for bravery
Eligibility All Ranks
Awarded for Death-defying heroic deeds of outstanding valour
Status Discontinued in 1993
Post-nominals HCD
Statistics
Established 1975
First awarded Never awarded
Ribbon - Honoris Crux Diamond.gif
Ribbon bar

The Honoris Crux Diamond (Diamond Cross of Honour), post-nominal letters HCD, was a military decoration for bravery that was instituted by the Republic of South Africa on 1 July 1975, but never awarded. The decoration was intended for award to members of the South African Defence Force for death-defying heroic deeds of outstanding valour. [1] [2]

An overview of South African military decorations and medals, which form part of the South African honours system.

South African Defence Force comprised the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994

The South African Defence Force (SADF) comprised the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence Force was officially succeeded by the SADF, which was established by the Defence Act of 1957. The SADF, in turn, was superseded by the South African National Defence Force in 1994.

Contents

Institution

The Honoris Crux Diamond (Diamond Cross of Honour), post-nominal letters HCD, was instituted by the State President on 1 July 1975. [2]

Award criteria

The decoration could be awarded to members of the South African Defence Force for death-defying heroic deeds of outstanding valour. It was the most senior of a set of four classes of Honoris Crux decorations, the Honoris Crux Diamond, Honoris Crux Gold, Honoris Crux Silver and Honoris Crux, that together replaced the discontinued Honoris Crux of 1952. [2]

Honoris Crux Gold

The Honoris Crux Gold, post-nominal letters HCG, is a South African military decoration for bravery which was instituted in 1975. It was awarded to members of the South African Defence Force for outstanding acts of bravery while in extreme danger. It was the second most senior in a set of four classes of Honoris Crux decorations which replaced the discontinued Honoris Crux of 1952.

Honoris Crux Silver

The Honoris Crux Silver, post-nominal letters HCS, is a military decoration for bravery which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa on 1 July 1975. It was awarded to members of the South African Defence Force for exceptional acts of bravery while in great danger. The Honoris Crux Silver was the third most senior in a set of four classes of Honoris Crux decorations, which together replaced the discontinued Honoris Crux of 1952.

Honoris Crux (1975)

The Honoris Crux of 1975, post-nominal letters HC, is a military decoration for bravery which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa on 1 July 1975. The decoration was awarded to members of the South African Defence Force for bravery in dangerous circumstances. It was the junior in a set of four Honoris Crux decorations in four classes, which together replaced the discontinued Honoris Crux of 1952.

Description

Obverse

The Honoris Crux Diamond was a silver-gilt Maltese cross that fits in a circle 45 millimetres in diameter, with two swords in saltire surmounted by a circular protea wreath, the arms of the cross in green enamel, with a roundel in the centre tierced horizontally in the orange, white and blue bands of the national flag, framed in a double circle containing eight diamonds set in green enamel. Apart from the eight diamonds in the enameled circle, it is identical to the Honoris Crux Gold in all respects. [2] [3]

Saltire heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross

A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French sautoir, Middle Latin saltatoria ("stirrup").

Reverse

The reverse had the pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms, with the decoration number underneath. [3]

Ribbon

The ribbon was 32 millimetres wide and orange. [2] [3]

Discontinuation

Since it was never awarded and now never will be, the Honoris Crux Diamond was no longer listed in the official order of precedence lists, as published in the Republic of South Africa Government Gazette, since 1993. [4] [5]

Only one Honoris Crux Diamond Decoration was ever struck. The Department of Defence donated it to the South African National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg on 21 May 2009.

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References

  1. ↑ South African Medal Website - Post-nominal Letters (Accessed 28 April 2015)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 South African Medal Website - SA Defence Force : 1975-2003 (Accessed 30 April 2015)
  3. 1 2 3 Monick, S (1988). South African Military Awards 1912–1987. South African National Museum of Military History. p. 49.
  4. ↑ Republic of South Africa Government Gazette no. 15093, Pretoria, 3 September 1993
  5. ↑ Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, OCLC   72827981
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