Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies
Country	United Kingdom
Type	Military long service decoration
Eligibility	Officers of the Volunteer Forces throughout the British Empire
Awarded for	Twenty years meritorious service Eighteen years service in India
Status	Discontinued in 1899
Post-nominals	VD
Statistics
Established	1894
Order of wear
Next (higher)	Volunteer Long Service Medal
Next (lower)	Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies
Related	Volunteer Officers' Decoration
Ribbon bar

The Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies was a special award. It was given to officers in the Volunteer Forces across the British Empire. This included places like India and Canada. The award recognized long and excellent service.

This decoration was created in 1894. It was similar to an earlier award, the Volunteer Officers' Decoration. The main difference was that this new one was for officers outside the United Kingdom. The award was stopped in 1899. Other awards later took its place.

What Was This Award?

This decoration was a military award. It was given to officers who served for a long time. These officers were part of the "Volunteer Forces." These forces were like part-time soldiers. They helped protect the British Empire.

The award was created by Queen Victoria. She was the Queen of the United Kingdom. The decoration showed that an officer had done great work.

How the Award Started

The original Volunteer Officers' Decoration began in 1892. It was for officers in the United Kingdom. They had to serve for twenty years to get it. This award showed they were good and capable leaders.

Then, in 1894, Queen Victoria made a change. She decided to extend the award. Now, officers in other parts of the British Empire could also receive a similar honor. This new award was called the Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies.

Who Could Get the Award?

To get this award, officers usually needed twenty years of service. However, in India, it was eighteen years. If an officer had served in other parts of the Empire's forces, that time counted too. Even half of their service in the full-time forces could count.

Receiving this award allowed officers to use the letters "VD" after their name. This was a special honor. Important leaders like the Governor-General of India could give out this award. They also published the names of recipients in local official newspapers.

What the Decoration Looked Like

The decoration was made of silver. It was shaped like an oval. It was about 43 millimeters (1.7 inches) tall.

• Front: The front had an oak leaf wreath. This wreath was made of silver. In the middle, there was Queen Victoria's special symbol, "VRI." This stood for "Victoria Regina Imperatrix," meaning "Victoria, Queen and Empress." This symbol was made of gold.
• Back: The back of the decoration was plain. It often had small marks showing where it was made. The award was usually given without a name on it. But many officers had their names engraved later.
• Ribbon: The ribbon was dark green. It was about 3.8 centimeters (1.5 inches) wide. It hung from a silver bar decorated with oak leaves.

When the Award Ended

The Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies stopped being given out in 1899. A new award, the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration, took its place. This new award was for officers in most parts of the Empire.

However, in India, a different award was later created. This was the Indian Volunteer Forces Officers' Decoration. It continued to recognize the service of officers there.

Images for kids

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  Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (South Africa) ribbon

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  Volunteer Officers' Decoration for India and the Colonies ribbon

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  Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies ribbon