The Natal Light Horse was an irregular regiment of the South African Armed Forces formed by Colonel John Robinson Royston in August 1914 during the First World War after petitioning General Jan Smuts for special permission to do so.
 Opening recruiting offices in Pietermaritzburg and Durban a full roster of six hundred men was recruited within ten days.
 All of those enlisted had seen previous military service and included quite a number of Australians who had served under Royston during the Second Boer War and had opted to remain in South Africa at the end of that conflict.
The Union of South Africa was tied closely to the British Empire, and automatically joined with Great Britain and the allies against the German Empire.
 Both Prime Minister Louis Botha and Defence Minister Jan Smuts, both former Second Boer War generals who had fought against the British but who now became active and respected members of the Imperial War Cabinet.
 (See Jan Smuts during World War I.)
The Distinguished Public Service Medal, formerly the Department of the Army Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service was established by directive of the Secretary of the Army in May 1956.
 This award consists of a gold medal, lapel button and certificate.
 This award recognizes distinguished service toward the accomplishment of the Army's mission.
The Order of Merit (French: "Ordre du Mérite" ) is an order of merit recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture.
 Established in 1902 by King Edward VII, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign—currently Edward VII's great-granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II—and is restricted to a maximum of 24 living recipients from the Commonwealth realms plus a limited number of honorary members.
 While all members are awarded the right to use the post-nominal letters "OM" and a medallion for life, the Order of Merit's precedence among other honours differs between realms.
Ann Linen Probert is an American amateur golfer from New Jersey.
 Probert has competed in 10 Senior Women's international events and notched 14 holes-in-one during her career.
 She is a recipient of the United States Golf Association's (USGA) Ike Grainger Award, which recognizes distinguished service to the association over 25 years.
 (Grainger was a president of the USGA.)
The Order of Aeronautical Merit (Portuguese: "Ordem do Mérito Aeronáutico" ) is an award of the Brazilian Air Force, established on 1 November 1943 by President Getúlio Vargas.
 The order is presented in five grades and recognizes distinguished service and exceptional contributions to the Brazilian Air Force.
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military award that can be given to a member of the United States Army (and previously, the United States Army Air Forces and the United States Air Force), for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force.
 Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree that they are above those required for all other U.S. combat decorations but do not meet the criteria for the Medal of Honor.
 The Distinguished Service Cross is equivalent to the Navy Cross (Navy and Marine Corps), the Air Force Cross (Air Force), and the Coast Guard Cross (Coast Guard).
The Order of Military Merit (Portuguese: "Ordem do Mérito Militar" ) is an award of the Brazilian Army, established on 11 June 1943 by President Getúlio Vargas.
 The order is presented in five grades and recognizes distinguished service and exceptional contributions to Brazil by members the Brazilian Army and the armies of friendly nations.
The Order of Defence Merit is an award of the Brazilian Military, established on 10 June 2002 by decree No. 4263.
 The order is presented in five grades and recognizes distinguished service and exceptional contributions to Brazil by members of the Brazilian Military and the armies of friendly nations as well as civilians, and, less common, to organizations and institutions.
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM (24 May 1870 – 11 September 1950) was a prominent South African and Commonwealth statesman and military leader.
 He served as a Boer General duning the Boer War, a British General during the First World War and was appointed Field Marshal during the Second World War.
 In addition to various Cabinet appointments, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 to 1924 and from 1939 to 1948.
 He played a leading part in the post war settlements at the end of both world wars, making significant contributions towards the creation of both the League of Nations and the United Nations.

Question: Jan Smuts and a British Transvaal was given which award that recognizes distinguished service in the armed forces?
Answer: Order of Merit