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The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Project photo: Grand Cross's star of the Order of the British Empire.
The Order of the British Empire recognises distinguished service to the arts and sciences, public services outside the Civil Service and work with charitable and welfare organisations of all kinds.
It was created during the First World War in 1917 by George V.
The King recognised the need for a new award of honour which could be more widely awarded, in recognition of the large numbers of people in the British Isles and other parts of the Empire who were helping the war effort both as combatants and as civilians on the home front.
For the first time, women were included in an order of chivalry, and it was decided that the Order should also include foreigners who had helped the British war effort.
From 1918 onwards there were Military and Civil Divisions, as George V also intended that after the war the Order should be used to reward services to the State in a much wider sense.
Today the Order of the British Empire is the order of chivalry of British democracy. Valuable service is the only criterion for the award, and the Order is now used to reward service in a wide range of useful activities.
Citizens from other countries may also receive an honorary award, for services rendered to the United Kingdom and its people. There are more than 100,000 living members of the Order throughout the world.
After some debate, St Paul's Cathedral was nominated by a special committee and approved by The Queen, as the Chapel of the Order.
As the cathedral of the capital city, it could accommodate services attended by very large congregations.
In the words of one committee member, 'St Paul's symbolised the victory of the British spirit during the war of 1939-45 in that, although badly damaged and shaken, it survived the ordeal by battle in an almost miraculous way.'
A Chapel for the Order was built in the cathedral crypt (where Nelson, Wellington and Sir Christopher Wren are buried, amongst others).
Its formal dedication in 1969 was attended by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh (Grand Master of the Order).
Once every four years, approximately 2,000 members of the Order attend a service there to celebrate the Order.
Many people who have been awarded an honour from overseas attend these services, and each person attending wears their award.
- Motto: For God and the Empire
- Chapel: St. Paul's Cathedral
- Ranks: Knight/Dame Grand Cross, Knight/Dame Commander, Commander, Officer, Member
- Post-nominals: GBE, KBE/DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE
- Founded: 1917
The Order is composed of five classes in civil and military divisions. In descending order of seniority, these are:
- Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE), see Knight Grand Cross
- Knight Commander or Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE or DBE)
- Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)
- Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Only the highest two ranks automatically cause an individual to become a knight or dame, an honour allowing the recipient to use the title "Sir" (male) or "Dame" (female) before their first name (though men can be knighted separately from this and other Orders of Chivalry). Honorary knighthoods, given to individuals who are not nationals of a realm where Queen Elizabeth II is Head of State, permit use of the honour as a post-nominal but not as a title before their name. Awards in the Order of the British Empire in the Commonwealth Realms were discontinued with the establishment of national systems of honours and awards such as the Order of Canada, the Order of Australia and the New Zealand Order of Merit. Foreign recipients are classified as honorary members of the Order they receive, and do not contribute to the numbers restricted to that Order as full members do.
There is also a related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are not members of the Order, but who are nonetheless affiliated with the Order. The British Empire Medal had not been used in the United Kingdom or its dependencies since 1993, but was revived in 2012 with 293 BEMs awarded for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. In addition, BEM is used by the Cook Islands and by some other Commonwealth nations.
KNIGHT GRAND CROSS or DAME GRAND CROSS of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE)
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- Rothchild, Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, OM, GBE, CVO, FRCA (b. 1936) is a British investment banker and a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family. He is also honorary president of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.
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- Sherrington, Sir Charles Scott, OM, GBE, PRS. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1932 (1857 – 1952)
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- Weidenfeld, Baron Arthur George, GBE (1919 – 2016)
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KNIGHT Commander or Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE or DBE)
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- Bailieu, Clive, KBE
- Banting , Sir Frederick Grant KBE MC FRS FRSC Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine,1923 (1891 – 1941)
- Bower, Sir Roger Herbert
- Braithwaite, Dame Florence Lilian DBE (1873 – 1948), known professionally as Lilian Braithwaite, was an English actress, primarily of the stage.
- Browne, Arthur Howe, 8TH Marguess of Sligo, KBE
- Brownrigg, Sir Henry John Studholme, KBE
- Burnet, Sir Frank Macfarlane, OM AK KBE FRS FAA FRSNZ Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1960 (1899 – 1985)
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- Chapple, Field Marshal Sir John Lyon, GCB, KBE
- Clayton, Brigadier General Sir Gilbert Falkingham,KCMG, KBE
- Coleridge, Richard Duke, 4th Baron, KBE
- Compton, Sir Edmund Gerald, GCB, KBE
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- Dean, Dame Caroline DBE FRS WOLF Prize in Agriculture, 2020 (b. 1961) Plant Scientist.
- Drummond, Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Dudley, KBE
- Drummond, Hon Sir Maurice Charles, KBE
- Duffield, Dame Vivien Louise DBE, CBE (née Clore; b. 1946) an English philanthropist.
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- Mancroft, Stormont, 2nd Baron, KBE
- Manning, Brigadier General Sir WIllaim, GCMG, KBE, CB
- Marten, Vice-Admiral Sir Francis, KBE
- McDonnell, Randal 8th Earl of Antrim, KBE
- Menuhin, Baron Yehudi, OM KBE (1916 – 1999) American-born violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the great violinists of the 20th century.
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- Neagle, Dame Anna
- Newton-John, Dame Olivia, DBE, AC, OBE (1948 – 2022)
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COMMANDER of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)
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- Arbuthnott, Viscount John Campbell
- Arbuthnott, Viscount Robert Keith, CB, CBE, DSO, MC
- [James Bertram Collip, MA PhD LLD
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- Bagnold, Enid, CBE
- Beaton, Sir Cecil, CBE
- Berlin, Sir Isaiah, OM, CBE, FBA
- Blackett, Patrick Maynard Stuart, Baron Blackett OM CH CBE FRS Nobel Prize in Physics, 1948 (1897 - 1974)
- Brink, Lieutenant-General George Edwin CB CBE DSO (1889-1971) was a South African military commander.
- Burton, Richard, CBE
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- Clarke, Sir Orme Bigland, 4th Baronet, CBE
- Cockcroft, Sir John, OM KCB CBE FRS, Nobel Prize in Physics 1951 (1897 – 1967)
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- Daubeny, Sir Peter Lauderdale, CBE
- Dimpbleby, Frederick Richard, CBE
- Duff, Group Captain George Edward Gordon, CBE
- Duffield, Dame Vivien DBE, CBE
- Dyke, David Hart, CBE
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- Edwards, Sir Robert Geoffrey, CBE, FRS, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2010 (1925 – 2013)
- Epstein, Sir Anthony, CBE, FRS, FMedSci (1921 – 2024) was a British pathologist and academic. He was one of the discoverers of the Epstein–Barr virus, along with Yvonne Barr and Bert Achong.
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- Gabor, Dennis CBE, FRS, Nobel Prize in Physics 1971 (1900 – 1979)
- Grade, Michael, Lord Grade of Yarmouth CBE
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- Haendel, Ida, CBE (1928 – 2020) Polish-British-Canadian virtuoso violinist. She was a Jewish child prodigy, her career spanning over seven decades. She also became an influential teacher.
- Hawking, Stephen William, CH CBE FRS FRSA (1942 – 2018) English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge.
- Hotham, Henry Frederick 7th Baron Hotham, CBE Landowner and army officer (Major General).
- Houghton, Sir John Theodore CBE FRS FLSW (1931 – 2020) Welsh atmospheric physicist, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) which shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 with Al Gore.
- Howe, Edward Curzon 6th Earl, CBE
- Hull, Sir Hubert, CBE
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- Isserlis, Steven CBE (b. 1958) British cellist.
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- Kendrew, Sir John, CBE, FRS Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1962 (1917 – 1997).
- Kadoorie, Sir Lawrence, Baron Kadoorie
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- Sanger, Fred OM, CH, CBE, FRS, FAA, Nobel Prizes in Chemistry, in 1958 and in 1980 (1918 - 2013)
- Smith, Delia
- Smith, Paul, CBE
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- Winter, Sir Gregory Paul CBE FRS FMedSci, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018 (b. 1951)
- Wolfe, Humbert. CB, CBE
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OFFICER of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE)
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- Alburquerque, Aloysisu Peter, OBE, KSG
- Archibald, Hill, CH OBE FRS Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine , 1922 (1886 - 1977)
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- Blackman, Charles Raymond, OBE (1928 - 2018) Australian painter
- Bragg, Sir William, CH OBE MC FRS, Nobel Prize in Physics 1915 (1890 - 1971)
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- Carey, Joyce
- Carluccio, Antonio, OBE
- Carson, Violet, OBE
- Carter, Thomas, OBE
- Cooper, Jilly, OBE
- Corbett, Harry, OBE
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- 🇳🇱 Nicolaas Franciscus Marie van DEUN ‧ 1894-1978 ‧ captain merchant navy
- Dixon, Herbert 1st Baron Glentoran. OBE
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- 🇳🇱 Egbert George van EERDE ‧ 1898-1989 ‧ captain merchant navy
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- MacDonald, Lillian
- Mandeno, Lloyd, OBE
- Margoyles, Miriam, OBE
- (Sturt) Marten, Mary
- Matthews, Jessie, OBE
- Mathias, Dr Piedade Felician
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- Newton-John, Dame Olivia, DBE, AC, OBE (1948 – 2022)
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- Rodd, Gustaf Guthrie Rennell, OBE
- Rowley-Conwy, Geoffrey, 9th Baron Langford, OBE
- Roy, Maurice CC, OBE
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- Sieff, Marcus Joseph, Baron Sieff of Brimpton OBE
- Stopford, James Montagu Burgoyne, 8th Earl of Courttown, MBE,OBE
- Stopford, James Richard Neville, 7th Earl of Courttown, OBE
- (Sturt) Marten, Mary,
- 🇳🇱 Jan SWART ‧ 1892-1946 ‧ captain merchant navy
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- 🇳🇱 Petrus Mattheus VERSTELLE ‧ 1895-1967 ‧ captain merchant navy
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- Walcott, Sir Derek Alton KCSL OBE OCC Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 (1930 – 2017)
- Warner, Jack, OBE
- Wilberforce, Arthur, OBE
- 🇳🇱 Jan Pieter WEPSTER ‧ 1886-1942 ‧ captain merchant navy
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- 🇳🇱 Everhardus Harmannus Jacobus ZEEVEN ‧ 1886-1945 ‧ captain merchant navy
MEMBER of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)
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- 🇳🇱 R. BERENDS ‧ x ‧ captain merchant navy
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- 🇳🇱 Zeger Jan REIJERS ‧ 1902-1957 ‧ captain merchant navy
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- 🇳🇱 Thomas Nicolaas SCHOTMAN ‧ 1892-x ‧ captain merchant navy
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- 🇳🇱 Benjamin Christiaan WELTEVREDEN ‧ 1898-1954 ‧ captain merchant navy