The Canadian Forces’ Decoration (post-nominal letters “CD”) is a Canadian award granted to members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have completed twelve years of military service (under specific conditions).
The decoration is awarded to officers and non-commissioned members of the Regular and Reserve forces, including honorary appointees within the Canadian Armed Forces, excluding time on the Supplementary Reserve List. It can be granted to individuals who already hold long service, good conduct, or efficiency awards, as long as the full qualifying periods for each are completed and service for one award does not count towards another.
Service in the regular and reserve or auxiliary forces of the Commonwealth nations is eligible if the final five years are with the Canadian Armed Forces, and no other similar medal has been awarded for that service.
The first governor general to receive the CD was Viscount Alexander of Tunis in 1951. Initially, the medal was awarded to all members of the Royal Family who served in the Canadian Forces, regardless of whether they had completed twelve years of service; however, this practice has not been automatic since 1953.
The Canadian Forces’ Decoration Design
The medal is ten-sided, representing the ten provinces, and measures 36 millimeters across. The King George VI version is made of .800 fine silver and gilded, featuring an uncrowned bust of the King facing left with the inscription “Georgivs VI D: G: Britt: omn: Rex Fid: Def” around the edge.
The Queen Elizabeth II version, made of tombac (a copper-zinc alloy) and later introduced in a gilded copper variant in 2008, has an uncrowned bust of the Queen facing right with “Elizabeth II Dei gratia Regina” around the edge and “Canada” at the bottom.
The reverse of both medals features a naval crown, three maple leaves, and an eagle representing the navy, army, and air force, respectively, with the word “service” on a scroll at the base and a fleur-de-lis on each side of the crown. The King George VI medal includes the royal cypher in the center, which is omitted from the Queen Elizabeth II medal. The King George VI medal has the recipient’s name and rank engraved on the reverse of the solid bar, while the Queen Elizabeth II medal has them engraved around the edge, with early versions stamped rather than engraved.
A clasp, or bar, is awarded for every 10 years of additional service. The clasp is tombac, 1⁄4 inch (6.4 mm) high, with the Canadian coat of arms in the center, crowned and gold in color. On the undress ribbon, this is indicated by a rosette.
