Rhys-Davids DSO

[lewradar]

Perusing the London Gazette I have come across the following:

ww.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30355/supplements/11107

Showing the award of the DSO to Arthur Rhys-Davids on 26 Oct 17.

This appears to be confirmed in a "Mention in Despatches" list of 11 Dec 17

ww.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30421/supplements/12922

However All the other data I have come across has March 1918 as the operative award date eg:

ww.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30583/supplements/3417

In that excellent tome "High in the Empty Blue" Alex Revell shows a photo of a letter from one of R-D's sisters to another dated 6 Oct 17 indicating that he has been awarded the DSO (it also tells of 56's "200th Hun")

Am I missing something that is common knowledge within the cognoscenti?


Lewradar

[lewradar]

I can answer my own question:

After some more digging on the Gazette site I see that the full citations for awards sometime appear months after with a rider ".. with reference to the awards on ..."

Still does not explain why our honours board has his DSO as March 1918!!

Lewradar

[Graeme]

lewradar

During the Great War period, the DSO could be awarded in half-yearly lists without citation and in periodical lists with citation. The latter could be in two parts, the first being the authority to wear with the citation appearing in a later issue of the London Gazette in what have become known as "Deeds Supplements".

In the case of Rhys Davids, the authority to wear was announced in London Gazette number 30355 (page 11107); this was the Second Supplement to the London Gazette of Friday, the 26th of October 1917, published on Saturday, 27 October 1917.

The citation for this award appeared in the Fourth Supplement to the London Gazette of Friday, the 15th of March 1918, published on Monday, 18 March 1918 (Gazette number 30583, page 3417).

The Statutes of the DSO state: "Fourthly. It is ordained that no person shall be eligible for this distinction who doth not actually hold, at the time of his nomination, a Commission in Our Navy, in Our Land Forces, or Marines, or Our Indian or Colonial Naval or Military Forces, or a Commission in one of the Departments of our Navy or Army, the holder of which is entitled to Honorary or relative Navy or Army rank, nor shall any person be nominated unless his services shall have been marked by the especial mention of his name, by the Admiral or Senior Naval Officer Commanding a Squadron or detached Naval Force, or by the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the Field, in Despatches for meritorious or distinguished service in the Field, or before the enemy."

The Desptach in which Rhys Davids' name appears was issued in London Gazette number 30421 (page 12924) published 11 December 1917.

Graeme

[alex_revell]

I had the pleasure of taking RD's DSO to Squadron, but sadly, it was later stolen and as far as I know never recovered.