Efficiency Decoration (South Africa)

Efficiency Decoration (South Africa)
Second King George V version
Awarded by the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India
Country	South Africa
Type	Military long service decoration
Eligibility	Officers of the Citizen Force
Awarded for	Twenty years service until 1949 Twelve years service from 1949
Status	Discontinued in 1952
Post-nominals	ED
Statistics
Established	1930
Last awarded	1952
Total awarded	886
South African order of wear
Next (higher)	Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (South Africa)
Equivalent	Efficiency Decoration Efficiency Decoration (Canada) Efficiency Decoration (New Zealand)
Next (lower)	Efficiency Medal (South Africa)
Ribbon bar

The Efficiency Decoration (South Africa), post-nominal letters ED, was instituted in 1930 for award to efficient and thoroughly capable part-time officers in the Citizen Force of the Union of South Africa after twenty years of service. The decoration superseded the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration.

The decoration was replaced by the John Chard Decoration on 6 April 1952.

In 1892, the Volunteer Officers' Decoration was instituted as an award for long and meritorious service by officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force. In 1894, the grant of the decoration was extended to officers of volunteer forces throughout the British Empire by instituting a separate new decoration, the Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies. This decoration was superseded in 1899 by the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration.

The Efficiency Decoration was instituted by Royal Warrant on 23 September 1930 as a long service award for part-time officers of the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom and of the Auxiliary Military Forces of the British Dominions, Colonies and Protectorates and India. In South Africa, the decoration superseded the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration.

The decoration bore a subsidiary title, inscribed on the bar-brooch, to denote whether the recipient qualified for its award while serving in the Territorial Army or in one of the other Auxiliary Military Forces of the Empire. The subsidiary title was inscribed on the bar-brooch of the decoration, "TERRITORIAL" in respect of the Territorial Army or the name of the applicable country in respect of other Auxiliary Military Forces. The South African version was unique, being the only one on which the subsidiary title was bilingual.

The equivalent award for other ranks was the Efficiency Medal (South Africa).

The decoration could be awarded to part-time officers after twenty years of commissioned service, not necessarily continuous, as an efficient and thoroughly capable officer on the active list of the Citizen Force of the Union Defence Forces. Half of the time served in the ranks could be reckoned as qualifying service for the decoration. Service in West Africa, natives of West Africa and periods spent on leave excluded, and war service was reckoned two-fold as qualifying service for the decoration.