- Time Period: Post-WW2
- Institution: 6 April 1952
- Country: South Africa
The John Chard Decoration, designated by the post-nominal letters JCD, was a military accolade for long service, established by the Union of South Africa on April 6, 1952. It was conferred upon members of the Citizen Force of the South African Defence Force in recognition of twenty years of meritorious service and commendable conduct. Additional clasps could be granted for thirty and forty years of service, respectively.
This decoration was bestowed upon all ranks of the Citizen Force for twenty years of efficient service, which did not necessarily need to be continuous. Initially, it was one of only three awards for long service that granted recipients the use of post-nominal letters. The other two were the De Wet Decoration (DWD), presented to Commando members, and the now-defunct Efficiency Decoration (ED).
The John Chard Decoration Design
The John Chard Decoration is an oval silver medallion, measuring 39 millimetres wide, 51 millimetres high, and 3 millimetres thick. It portrays a scene from the 1879 battle at Rorke’s Drift in Natal, featuring a tree, the river, and the mission station. This was the site where Lieutenant Chard and ten of his men earned the Victoria Cross (VC). The depiction is inscribed with “RORKE’S DRIFT 1879” and encircled by the words “JOHN CHARD” at the top and “DECORATION : DEKORASIE” at the bottom.
The reverse side features the pre-1994 South African coat of arms. Original decorations, produced by the South African Mint, exhibit a raised rim and a separately crafted ribbon suspender affixed to the top of the decoration, as shown in the illustration above. The decoration number was either impressed or engraved at the bottom on the rim.
The ribbon mirrors that of the John Chard Medal, measuring 32 millimetres wide. It consists of alternating dark blue, white, and dark red bands, each with varying widths (3 millimetres, 2 millimetres, and 22 millimetres respectively).
