| Badge of Honour | |
| Type: | Civil decoration |
| Awarded For: | Meritorious services to the community of an exceptional or outstanding nature |
| Precedence Label: | Order of Wear |
| Higher: | Queen's Medal for Chiefs |
| Lower: | Campaign medals |
The Badge of Honour, accompanied by the King's Certificate and Badge of Honour, is a civil award previously presented by the governments of British colonies and protectorates, and now by British Overseas Territories, to recognise loyal and valuable service by native chiefs and other non-European dignitaries.[1] The Badge of Honour and Certificate continue to be awarded for meritorious services to the local community of an exceptional or outstanding nature[2] in Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda[3] [4] [5] [6] and St Helena.[7]
The decoration has occasionally been awarded to Europeans.[1] For example, the New Hebrides version of the Badge of Honour was awarded to the Duke of Gloucester and two British Army officers, including then-Colonel Charles Guthrie, for their role in the so-called 'Coconut War' of 1980.[8]
There are two distinct types of badge, one for African territories established in 1922, and a non-African version, awarded since 1926.[8]
The African version was an oval bronze badge similar in appearance to the Queen's Medal for Chiefs, with non-African countries bestowing a circular silver-gilt badge. Otherwise, both types follow the same design, with the reigning Sovereign's crowned effigy on the obverse, and the name of the territory and a distinct emblem symbolic of that country on the reverse. Both have a raised ornamental rim of laurel leaves.[9]
Both versions came in two sizes, a larger badge worn around the neck and a smaller badge, introduced in 1954, for recipients who opted to wear the decoration on the left breast with other medals. Both use the same watered bright yellow ribbon,[8] with some South East Asian territories[10] adopting a red, white and blue ribbon.[9]