X-Nico

50 unusual facts about Order of the British Empire


1948 in archaeology

Maud Cunnington made CBE for services to archaeology, the first woman archaeologist to receive the honour.

Albert Norman

Albert Norman MBE (1882 – 1964) was one of the founders and the first secretary of the Institute of Biomedical Science.

Angela Sarkis

Angela Sarkis CBE (b. 1955), was the Chief Executive of the Nurture Group Network, a charitable organisation which promotes and supports the development of specialist support for vulnerable children within mainstream education.

Anne Lucas

Anne Shirley Lucas CBE (born c. 1951) is an Australian actress, best known for her roles on television as Eve Turner (later Steele) in The Young Doctors and Faye Quin in Prisoner.

Arthur Samuel Allen

Major General Arthur Samuel "Tubby" Allen CB CBE DSO VD (10 March 1894 – 25 January 1959) was an Australian soldier.

Baden-Powell grave

The grave of Lieutenant-General The 1st Baron Baden-Powell and his wife, Olave, Baroness Baden-Powell, G.B.E., are in Nyeri in Central Province, Kenya, near Mount Kenya.

Bertie Clarke

Dr Carlos Bertram (Bertie) Clarke, OBE (7 April 1918, Lakes Folly, Cats Castle, St Michael, Barbados – 14 October 1993, Putney, London, England) was a West Indian cricketer who played in three Tests in 1939.

Bob Roll

Roll continues to enjoy riding road and mountain bicycles for recreation, and is a member of the veteran cable television broadcasting team (along with Phil Liggett, MBE and Paul Sherwen) who serve as road cycling expert-commentators for the NBC Sports Network cable network's coverage of the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Paris–Roubaix, Tour of California, and other international cycling road races.

Calum Colvin

Calum Colvin RSA OBE (born Glasgow, 1961) is a Scottish artist whose work combines photography, painting, and installation, and often deals with issues of Scottish identity and culture and with the history of art.

Claudia Orange

In 1993 Orange was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and awarded DCNZM in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to historical research.

David Narey

David Narey, MBE (born 12 June 1956 in Dundee) is a former Scottish international footballer, who spent 21 years with Dundee United, coinciding with United's most successful era, under the management of Jim McLean.

Diane Towler

Towler / Ford are MBE recipients and were inducted into the World Figure skating Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs in 1993.

E. Morris Miller

Edmund Morris Miller, CBE (1881 – 1964) was an Australian author, professor, and vice-chancellor of the University of Tasmania between 1933-1945.

Freddie Young

Freddie Young OBE, BSC (9 October 1902 - 1 December 1998), (sometimes credited as Frederick A. Young) was one of Britain's most distinguished and influential cinematographers.

Frederick Kisch

Frederick Hermann Kisch CBE, CB, DSO (August 23, 1888 – April 7, 1943) was a decorated British Army officer and Zionist leader.

Jim Leighton

James "Jim" Leighton MBE (born 24 July 1958 in Johnstone, Renfrewshire) is a Scottish former football goalkeeper.

Jim Leishman

In the Queen's Birthday Honours 2007, Leishman was appointed as a member of the Order of the British Empire for 'services to sport'.

John Bussey

Group Captain John Bussey, OBE (1895-1979) was in charge of Reconnassance for the British Royal Air Force during WWII.

John Greig

John Greig MBE (born 11 September 1942 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish former professional football player who, despite his boyhood allegiance to hometown team Heart of Midlothian, spent his entire career in Glasgow with Rangers as a player, manager and director.

Greig was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) on 15 November 1977.

Laura Ashley

In 1975 Laura turned down the offer of an OBE (she was upset Bernard had not been offered one).

Laurence Henry Hicks

Laurence Henry Hicks (1912-1997), OBE, was an English-born military bandmaster and composer.

Margaret Stones

Elsie Margaret Stones AM, MBE (born 28 August 1920 at Colac, Victoria) is an Australian botanical illustrator.

Mirosław Vitali

He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1986 in recognition of his outstanding work helping British servicemen who had lost limbs in World War II.

Missing People

In 1996 Mary Asprey and Janet Newman were honoured for their services to charity with OBEs.

Nirad C. Chaudhuri

In 1992, he was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom with the title of Commander of Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Parveen Kumar

Parveen June Kumar CBE is a British doctor who served as President of the British Medical Association in 2006, and of the Royal Society of Medicine from 2010 to 2012.

Pato Kakaraya

Sir Pato Kakaraya, KBE, is a Papua New Guinea politician and Cabinet Minister.

Paul McStay

Paul Michael Lyons McStay OBE, nicknamed the Maestro (born 22 October 1964, Hamilton), is a former football player who spent his entire career with Scottish team Celtic F.C., making his debut in 1982 and retiring in 1997.

Peter Dimmock

Peter Harold Dimmock CBE, CVO (born 6 December 1920) is a pioneering former sports broadcaster and senior executive of British television during its formative years in the 1950s.

Ponsonby Britt

Britt eventually supposedly became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and was retained in the cartoon's closing credits as an in-joke.

Quintiles

Quintiles was founded in 1982 by Dennis Gillings, Ph.D., CBE, then a professor of biostatistics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Robert Merrill Lee

In addition to various awards and decorations from other U.S. allies, he wears the French Legion of Honor in the grade of Commander and the Croix de Guerre with Palm; the Luxembourg Order of Merit of Adolph of Nassau, Degree of Commander with Crown; the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Degree of Honorary Commander; and the Korean Order of Military Merit, Taeguk, with silver star.

Robin Duval

On retirement from the BBFC he was made a C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2005 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to the film industry.

Roy Kettle

Leroy Richard Arthur "Roy" Kettle OBE (born 1949) is a retired United Kingdom civil servant who, among many other achievements, was one of the principal architects of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec

Colonel (ret) Jean Berthiaume, OBE, CD - Infantry officer of the Régiment de St-Hyacinthe and of the Royal 22e Régiment - 1915-2003

Sidney Hobart-Hampden-Mercer-Henderson, 7th Earl of Buckinghamshire

Sidney Carr Hobart-Hampden-Mercer-Henderson, 7th Earl of Buckinghamshire OBE DL (14 March 1860 – 15 January 1930), styled Lord Hobart from 1875 to 1885, was a British Liberal politician.

Specsavers

The co-founder of Specsavers, Mary Perkins, was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2007 in recognition of her services to business and the community in Guernsey.

Stephen Weir

Formally adding Stephen as a forename by deed poll in 1960, he was knighted following the completion of his CGS term.

Subramaniam Ramadorai

Subramanian Ramadorai, CBE ( born 6 October 1945) is the adviser to the Prime Minister of India in the national council on skill development, Government of India.

Theodore McEvoy

Air Chief Marshal Sir Theodore Neuman McEvoy KCB CBE RAF (21 November 1904 – 19 September 1991) was a senior Royal Air Force officer during World War II who held high command in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Thomas Kielinger

Thomas Kielinger OBE (born July 1940 in Danzig) is a German journalist, political commentator and author.

Tiger Tim Stevens

In 2006 Stevens was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his charity work and services to broadcasting in Scotland.

Tom Stott

Tom Cleave Stott CBE (6 June 1899-21 October 1976) spent 37 years as an independent member of the South Australian House of Assembly, serving as Speaker of the House from 1962 to 1965 and 1968 to 1970.

Trevor Harrison

In 2001, The Archers 50th anniversary year, he was made an MBE for his services to radio drama, particularly for his role in The Archers.

Twyford railway station

In 2005 Norman Topson, the station master for 16 years and local rail worker for 43 years, was awarded an MBE for services to the railway industry and community.

Vic Renalson

Renalson was a finalist in the ABC Sportsman of the Year award in 1968, and became a member of the Order of the British Empire in 1973 for services to sport and the community.

Walter Percy Day

Walter Percy Day O.B.E.(1878, Luton −1965, Los Angeles) was a British painter best remembered for his work as a matte artist and special effects technician in the film industry.

Wentworth D'Arcy Uhr

His grandson, Clive Uhr, would become a noted radiologist and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Willie Miller

William Ferguson Miller, MBE (born 2 May 1955 in Glasgow) is a former professional football player who made a club record 558 league appearances for Aberdeen.


Archibald Salvidge

Sir Archibald Tutton James Salvidge KBE PC (5 August 1863 – 11 December 1928) was an English politician, most notable for securing the political dominance of the Conservative Party in Liverpool through the use of the Working Men's Conservative Association (WMCA), earning him the nickname "the king of Liverpool" (by Warden Chilcott, MP for Liverpool Walton).

Arthur Blackburn

Brigadier Arthur Seaforth Blackburn VC, CMG, CBE, ED (25 November 1892 – 24 November 1960) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Arthur Wint

He ran his final race in 1953 at Wembley Stadium, finished his internship, graduated as a doctor and the following year he was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.

Bronwyn Hill

Bronwyn Hill CBE (born 1960) is a British civil servant, who currently serves as the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Charles Style

Vice Admiral Charles Style CBE (born 1954) is a former Royal Navy officer and a former Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies.

Clan Blackadder

William Francis Blackadder played in the Scottish rugby team in 1938, and was awarded the DSO and OBE as an RAF ace in World War II.

Claude Aurelius Elliott

Sir Claude Aurelius Elliott OBE, MA, (27 July 1888 - 21 November 1973) was Head Master of Eton College at Windsor in Berkshire, and was later Provost at the same school.

David George Kendall

They had two sons and four daughters, including Wilfrid Kendall, professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Warwick and reporter Bridget Kendall MBE.

Donald Buttress

Donald Reeve Buttress, LVO, OBE is an English architect based in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

Dorothy Garrod

Dorothy Annie Elizabeth Garrod CBE, FBA (5 May 1892 – 18 December 1968) was a British archaeologist who was the first woman to hold an Oxbridge chair, partly through her pioneering work on the Palaeolithic period.

Edwin Herbert, Baron Tangley

Invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, he was created Baron Tangley, of Blackheath in the County of Surrey on 22 January 1964.

Elmer J. Rogers, Jr.

His foreign decorations include the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Croix de Guerre with Palm (French), Pilots Citation, Royal Yugoslavian Air Force, the Order of the White Elephant, 2nd Class (Thailand), the Ulchi Distinguished Military Service Medal with Gold Star (Republic of Korea), the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan), and the Military Order of Taeguk (Korea).

Eric Gardner Turner

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1975 and was knighted in 1981.

Geoffrey Rhodes Bromet

Air Vice Marshal Sir Geoffrey Rhodes Bromet KBE CB DSO, DL (28 August 1891 – 16 November 1983) was an Air Vice Marshal during World War II and a former Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man.

Gerard Basset

Gerard Francis Claude Basset OBE, MS, MW, MBA, is the owner with his wife, Nina, of Hotel Terravina, a New Forest Hotel near Southampton in Hampshire, United Kingdom.

Greg Haddrick

Haddrick is the younger child and only son of actor Ron Haddrick AM MBE.

Gunasena de Soyza

Gunasena de Soyza CMG OBE (20 December 1902 – 12 October 1961) was High Commissioner for Ceylon in Britain from 1960 until his death.

H. J. Heinz II

In 1979, Queen Elizabeth II made Heinz an Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, citing him "for significant contribution in the furtherance of British-American relationships, especially in the cultural, educational and economic fields."

Harold Bowden

Sir Harold Bowden, 2nd Baronet, GBE (9 July 1880 – 24 August 1960), was the chairman and chief executive of the Raleigh Bicycle Company and Sturmey-Archer Ltd from his father's death in 1921 until his own retirement in 1938.

Harold Wilson bibliography

James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was one of the most prominent British politicians of the 20th century.

John Moores, Jr.

His older sister Betty Suenson-Taylor, The Dowager Lady Grantchester, who married her husband Kenneth Bent Suenson-Taylor, 2nd Baron Grantchester, his younger brother Sir Peter Moores, CBE, DL and younger sister Janitha Moores.

Jon Moynihan

Jon Moynihan, OBE (born 21 June 1948) is the former Executive Chairman of PA Consulting Group, the employee-owned firm of over 2,000 people, specialising in management and IT consulting, technology and innovation.

Jonathan Woodcock

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 Birthday Honours.

Mary Coulshed

She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her services to the British Army and the WRAC in the 1953 Coronation Honours.

Muhammad Faiyaz Ali Khan

Nawab Sir Muhammad Faiyaz Ali Khan Bahadur, the Nawab of Pahasu, GBE, KCSI, KCIE, KCVO, MBE; (1851–1922) was a member of Governor General' Council of the United Provinces and Member of the Legislative council of United Provinces.

Niall FitzGerald

Niall FitzGerald, KBE (born 13 September 1945 in County Sligo) is an Irish businessman.

Oliver Poole, 1st Baron Poole

Oliver Brian Sanderson Poole, 1st Baron Poole CBE, TD, PC (11 August 1911-28 January 1993), was a British Conservative politician, soldier and businessman.

Rob Kell

John Robert ("Rob") Kell, CBE (1902 - 1983) was an English civil engineer with particular expertise in the field of heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Robert Wesley Colglazier, Jr.

His personal decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Order of the British Empire, French Legion of Honor and French Croix de Guerre.

Single-wire earth return

Lloyd Mandeno OBE (1888-1973) fully developed SWER in New Zealand around 1925 for rural electrification.

Theodore J. Conway

Conway’s decorations included the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster; Bronze Star Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters; French Legion of Honor; French Croix de Guerre with Palm; Czechoslovak Military Cross; Polish Golden Cross of Merit with Swords; Order of the British Empire; Order of the Crown of Italy; and the Army Distinguished Service Medal (US).

Walter Coutts

Sir Walter Fleming Coutts, KCMG, MBE (1912–1988) was a British colonial administrator and was Uganda's last Governor before independence, from 1961–1962.

War Widows Association of Great Britain

In the 2003 New Year Honours, Mary Brailsford of Chesterfield, Derbyshire was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) "for services to the War Widows Association of Great Britain".

Wilfrid Foster

Major Wilfrid Lionel Foster CBE DSO (2 December 1874 – 22 March 1958) was an English cricketer: a right-handed batsman who played for Worcestershire County Cricket Club in their early years in first-class cricket.

William Frederick James Harvey

William Frederick James Harvey DFC & Bar MC MBE, (8 January 1897, Portslade, Sussex – 21 July 1972) was a British flying ace in World War I credited with twenty-six victories.

William J. McCormack

He is the son of a British Colonial Police colonel who was decorated with an MBE by the King for his work with prison reform and children's polio.