DSO GVI (1st Type 1938-48) Full Size Medal Loose

The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. It was instituted on 6 September 1886 by Queen Victoria in a Royal Warrant published in the London Gazette on 9 November. It is typically awarded to officers ranked Major (or its equivalent) or higher, but the honour has sometimes been awarded to especially valorous junior officers. 8,981 DSOs were awarded during World War I, each award being announced in the London Gazette.