The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the
. Established in 1902 by
, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the
s, and is limited to 24 living recipients at one time from these countries plus a limited number of honorary members. While all members receive the ability to use the
and a medallion for life, the Order of Merit's precedence amongst other honours differs between Commonwealth realms.
, though nothing eventuated from the idea. Later, it was thought by
, would make up for the insufficient recognition offered by the established honours system to achievement outside of public service, in realms such as art, music, literature, industry, and science. Victoria's husband, Albert, Prince Consort, took an interest in the matter; it was recorded in his diary that he met on 16 January 1844 with
to discuss the "idea of institution of a civil Order of Merit" and three days later he conferred with the Queen on the subject. The concept did not wither and, on 5 January 1888, British prime minister the Marquess of Salisbury submitted to the Queen a draft constitution for an Order of Merit in Science and Art, consisting of one grade split into two branches of knighthood: the Order of Scientific Merit for Knights of Merit in Science, with the post-nominal letters
and the Order of Artistic Merit for Knights of Merit in Art, with the post-nominal letters
. However,
, President of the Royal Academy, advised against the new order, primarily because of its selection process.
, who eventually founded the Order of Merit on 26 June 1902 the date for which his coronation had been originally planned as a means to acknowledge "exceptionally meritorious service in Our Navy and Our Army, or who may have rendered exceptionally meritorious service towards the advancement of Art, Literature and Science"; all modern aspects of the order were established under his direction, including the division for military figures. From the outset, prime ministers attempted to propose candidates or lobbied to influence the monarch's decision on appointments, but the Royal Household adamantly guarded information about potential names. After 1931, when the
became independent states, equal in status to the UK, the Order of Merit remained an honour open to all the King's realms; thus, as with the monarch who conferred it, the order ceased to be purely British.
being the first woman to receive the honour, in 1907. Several individuals have refused admission into the Order of Merit, such as
. To date,
, remains the youngest person ever inducted into the Order of Merit, having been admitted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1968, when he was 47 years of age.
s are eligible for appointment to the Order of Merit. There may be, however, only 24 living individuals in the order at any given time, not including honorary appointees, and new members are personally selected by the reigning monarch of the 16 realms, presently Queen Elizabeth II, with the assistance of her private secretaries; the order has thus been described as "quite possibly, the most prestigious honour one can receive on planet Earth." Within the limited membership is a designated military division, with its own unique insignia; though it has not been abolished, it is currently unpopulated,
having been the last person so honoured. Honorary members form another group, to which there is no numerical limit, though such appointments are rare; individuals from countries in the
that are not headed by Elizabeth II are therefore considered foreigners, and thus are granted only honorary admissions, such as
, and are entrusted with the badge of the order, consisting of a golden crown from which is suspended a red enamelled cross, itself centred by a disk of blue enamel, surrounded by a gold
; the insignia for the military grouping is distinguished by a pair of crossed swords behind the central disk. The ribbon of the Order of Merit is divided into two stripes of red and blue; men wear their badges on a neck ribbon, while women carry theirs on a ribbon bow pinned to the left shoulder, and
s. Since 1991, it has been required that the insignia be returned upon the recipient's death.
As the Order of Merit is open to the citizens of sixteen different countries, each with their own system of orders, decorations, and medals, the order's place of precedence varies from country to country. While, in the United Kingdom, the order's postnominal letters follow those of Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, membership in the Order of Merit itself gives members no place in any of the orders of precedence in the United Kingdom. However, it has been claimed by Stanley Martin, in his book
, that the Order of Merit is actually the pinnacle of the British honours system. Similarly, though it was not listed in the Canadian order of precedence for honours, decorations, and medals until December 2010, except relating to those who were appointed to the order prior to 1 June 1972, both
, stated that the Order of Merit was the highest civilian award for merit a Canadian could receive.
| |
Countries |
Name |
Date of appointment |
Date of death |
| 1. |
|
The Earl RobertsField Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
|
26 June 1902 |
14 November 1914 |
| 2. |
|
The Viscount WolseleyField Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, KP, GCB, OM, GCMG, VD, PC was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Army. He served in Burma, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, China, Canada, and widely throughout Africa—including his Ashanti campaign and the Nile Expedition...
|
26 June 1902 |
25 March 1913 |
| 3. |
|
The Earl KitchenerField Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
|
26 June 1902 |
5 June 1916 |
| 4. |
|
The Lord RayleighJohn William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, OM was an English physicist who, with William Ramsay, discovered the element argon, an achievement for which he earned the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1904...
|
26 June 1902 |
30 June 1919 |
| 5. |
|
The Lord KelvinWilliam Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin OM, GCVO, PC, PRS, PRSE, was a mathematical physicist and engineer. At the University of Glasgow he did important work in the mathematical analysis of electricity and formulation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and did much to unify the emerging...
|
26 June 1902 |
17 December 1907 |
| 6. |
|
The Lord ListerJoseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister OM, FRS, PC , known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, who promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary...
|
26 June 1902 |
10 February 1912 |
| 7. |
|
Sir Henry KeppelAdmiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Keppel, GCB, OM was a British admiral, son of the 4th Earl of Albemarle and of his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Lord de Clifford.-Naval career:...
|
26 June 1902 |
17 January 1904 |
| 8. |
|
The Viscount Morley of BlackburnJohn Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn OM, PC was a British Liberal statesman, writer and newspaper editor. Initially a journalist, he was elected a Member of Parliament in 1883...
|
26 June 1902 |
23 September 1923 |
| 9. |
|
William Edward Hartpole Lecky William Edward Hartpole Lecky, OM was an Irish historian.-Early life:Born at Newtown Park, near Dublin, he was the eldest son of John Hartpole Lecky, a landowner....
|
26 June 1902 |
22 October 1903 |
| 10. |
|
Sir Edward Hobart Seymour Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Hobart Seymour, GCB, OM, GCVO , was a Royal Navy officer who became Commander-in-Chief, China Station.- Early life :...
|
26 June 1902 |
2 March 1929 |
| 11. |
|
Sir William Huggins Sir William Huggins, OM, KCB, FRS was an English amateur astronomer best known for his pioneering work in astronomical spectroscopy.-Biography:...
|
26 June 1902 |
12 May 1910 |
| 12. |
|
George Frederic WattsGeorge Frederic Watts, OM was a popular English Victorian painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical works, such as Hope and Love and Life...
|
26 June 1902 |
1 July 1904 |
| 13. |
|
Sir George Stuart White |
30 June 1905 |
24 June 1912 |
| 14. |
|
The Lord Fisher |
30 June 1905 |
10 July 1920 |
| 15. |
|
Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb, OM, FBA was a British classical scholar and politician.He was born in Dundee, Scotland. His father was a well-known barrister, and his grandfather a judge...
|
30 June 1905 |
9 December 1905 |
| 16. |
|
Sir Lawrence Alma-TademaLawrence Alma-Tadema, OM, RA was a Dutch painter.Born in Dronrijp, the Netherlands, and trained at the Royal Academy of Antwerp, Belgium, he settled in England in 1870 and spent the rest of his life there...
|
30 June 1905 |
25 June 1912 |
| 17. |
|
George MeredithGeorge Meredith, OM was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era.- Life :Meredith was born in Portsmouth, England, a son and grandson of naval outfitters. His mother died when he was five. At the age of 14 he was sent to a Moravian School in Neuwied, Germany, where he remained for two...
|
30 June 1905 |
18 May 1909 |
| 18. |
|
William Holman HuntWilliam Holman Hunt OM was an English painter, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Biography:...
|
30 June 1905 |
7 September 1910 |
| 22. |
|
The Earl of CromerEvelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer, GCB, OM, GCMG, KCSI, CIE, PC, FRS , was a British statesman, diplomat and colonial administrator....
|
29 June 1906 |
29 January 1917 |
| 23. |
|
The Viscount BryceJames Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce OM, GCVO, PC, FRS, FBA was a British academic, jurist, historian and Liberal politician.-Background and education:...
|
11 February 1907 |
22 January 1922 |
| 24. |
|
Sir Joseph Dalton HookerSir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
|
30 June 1907 |
10 December 1911 |
| 25. |
|
Florence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
|
12 May 1907 |
13 August 1910 |
| 26. |
|
Henry Jackson Henry Jackson, OM, , was an English classicist. He served as the vice-master of Trinity College, Cambridge from 1914 to 1919, praelector in ancient philosophy from 1875 to 1906 and Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge from 1906 to 1921, and was awarded the Order of Merit on 26...
|
26 June 1908 |
25 September 1921 |
| 27. |
|
Alfred Russel Wallace Alfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist...
|
26 June 1908 |
7 November 1913 |
| 28. |
|
Sir William CrookesSir William Crookes, OM, FRS was a British chemist and physicist who attended the Royal College of Chemistry, London, and worked on spectroscopy...
|
8 July 1910 |
4 April 1919 |
| 29. |
|
Thomas HardyThomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
|
8 July 1910 |
11 January 1928 |
| 30. |
|
Sir George Otto TrevelyanSir George Otto Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet OM, PC was a British statesman and author. In a ministerial career stretching almost 30 years, he was most notably twice Secretary of State for Scotland under William Ewart Gladstone and the Earl of Rosebery...
|
19 June 1911 |
17 August 1928 |
| 31. |
|
Sir Edward William ElgarSir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
|
19 June 1911 |
23 February 1934 |
| 32. |
|
Sir Arthur Knyvet Wilson |
8 March 1912 |
25 May 1921 |
| 33. |
|
Sir Joseph John ThomsonSir Joseph John "J. J." Thomson, OM, FRS was a British physicist and Nobel laureate. He is credited for the discovery of the electron and of isotopes, and the invention of the mass spectrometer...
|
15 March 1912 |
30 August 1940 |
| 34. |
|
Sir Archibald GeikieSir Archibald Geikie, OM, KCB, PRS, FRSE , was a Scottish geologist and writer.-Early life:Geikie was born in Edinburgh in 1835, the eldest son of musician and music critic James Stuart Geikie...
|
1 January 1914 |
10 November 1924 |
| 35. |
|
The Earl of YpresField Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, ADC, PC , known as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a British and Anglo-Irish officer...
|
3 December 1914 |
22 May 1925 |
| 36. |
|
The Viscount HaldaneRichard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane KT, OM, PC, KC, FRS, FBA, FSA , was an influential British Liberal Imperialist and later Labour politician, lawyer and philosopher. He was Secretary of State for War between 1905 and 1912 during which time the "Haldane Reforms" were implemented...
|
26 May 1915 |
19 August 1928 |
| 37. |
|
Henry JamesHenry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
|
1 January 1916 |
28 February 1916 |
| 38. |
|
The Earl JellicoeAdmiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO was a British Royal Navy admiral who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in World War I...
|
31 May 1916 |
20 November 1935 |
| 39. |
|
The Earl of BalfourArthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
|
3 June 1916 |
19 March 1930 |
| 41. |
|
The Earl BeattyAdmiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO was an admiral in the Royal Navy...
|
3 June 1919 |
11 March 1936 |
| 42. |
|
The Earl HaigField Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
|
3 June 1919 |
29 January 1928 |
| 44. |
|
The Earl Lloyd-GeorgeDavid Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
|
5 August 1919 |
26 March 1945 |
| 45. |
|
Sir James Matthew BarrieSir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...
|
2 January 1922 |
19 June 1937 |
| 46. |
|
Francis Herbert Bradley Francis Herbert Bradley, OM, was a British idealist philosopher.- Life :Bradley was born at Clapham, Surrey, England . He was the child of Charles Bradley, an evangelical preacher, and Emma Linton, Charles's second wife. A. C. Bradley was his brother...
|
3 June 1924 |
18 September 1924 |
| 47. |
|
Sir Charles Scott SherringtonSir Charles Scott Sherrington, OM, GBE, PRS was an English neurophysiologist, histologist, bacteriologist, and a pathologist, Nobel laureate and president of the Royal Society in the early 1920s...
|
3 June 1924 |
4 March 1952 |
| 48. |
|
Sir James George Frazer |
1 January 1925 |
7 May 1941 |
| 49. |
/ |
The Lord Rutherford of NelsonErnest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson OM, FRS was a New Zealand-born British chemist and physicist who became known as the father of nuclear physics...
|
1 January 1925 |
19 October 1937 |
| 50. |
|
Sir Charles Algernon ParsonsSir Charles Algernon Parsons OM KCB FRS was an Anglo-Irish engineer, best known for his invention of the steam turbine. He worked as an engineer on dynamo and turbine design, and power generation, with great influence on the naval and electrical engineering fields...
|
3 June 1927 |
11 February 1931 |
| 51. |
|
Sir George Abraham Grierson Sir George Abraham Grierson OM KCIE was born to a prominent Dublin family in 1851. His father and grandfather, both also named George, were well-known printers and publishers.-Biography:Educated at St...
|
4 June 1928 |
9 March 1941 |
| 52. |
|
Robert Seymour Bridges Robert Seymour Bridges, OM, was a British poet, and poet laureate from 1913 to 1930.-Personal and professional life:...
|
3 June 1929 |
21 April 1930 |
| 53. |
|
John GalsworthyJohn Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
|
3 June 1929 |
31 January 1933 |
| 54. |
 / |
Samuel Alexander Samuel Alexander OM was an Australian-born British philosopher. He was the first Jewish fellow of an Oxbridge college.-Early life:...
|
3 June 1930 |
13 September 1938 |
| 55. |
|
Montague Rhodes James Montague Rhodes James, OM, MA, , who used the publication name M. R. James, was an English mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge and of Eton College . He is best remembered for his ghost stories, which are regarded as among the best in the genre...
|
3 June 1930 |
12 June 1936 |
| 56. |
|
George Macaulay Trevelyan George Macaulay Trevelyan, OM, CBE, FRS, FBA , was a British historian. Trevelyan was the third son of Sir George Otto Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet, and great-nephew of Thomas Babington Macaulay, whose staunch liberal Whig principles he espoused in accessible works of literate narrative avoiding a...
|
3 June 1930 |
21 July 1962 |
| 57. |
|
Sir Charles Edward Madden |
1 January 1931 |
5 June 1935 |
| 58. |
|
Philip Wilson Steer Philip Wilson Steer OM was a British painter of landscape and occasional portraits and figure studies. He was a leading figure in the Impressionist movement in Britain.-Life and work:...
|
1 January 1931 |
18 March 1942 |
| 59. |
|
Sir William Henry BraggSir William Henry Bragg OM, KBE, PRS was a British physicist, chemist, mathematician and active sportsman who uniquely shared a Nobel Prize with his son William Lawrence Bragg - the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics...
|
3 June 1931 |
10 March 1942 |
| 60. |
|
John William Mackail John William Mackail O.M. was a Scottish man of letters and socialist, now best remembered as a Virgil scholar. He was also a poet, literary historian and biographer....
|
1 January 1935 |
13 December 1945 |
| 61. |
|
John Edward MasefieldJohn Edward Masefield, OM, was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death in 1967...
|
3 June 1935 |
12 May 1967 |
| 62. |
|
Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
|
3 June 1935 |
26 August 1958 |
| 63. |
|
Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins |
3 June 1935 |
16 May 1947 |
| 64. |
|
The Lord Chetwode Field Marshal Philip Walhouse Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode, 7th Baronet of Oakley, GCB, OM, GCSI, KCMG, DSO was a British cavalry officer who became Commander in Chief in India.-Early life and education:...
|
1 January 1936 |
6 July 1950 |
| 65. |
|
Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher OM, FRS, PC was an English historian, educator, and Liberal politician. He served as President of the Board of Education in David Lloyd George's 1916 to 1922 coalition government....
|
1 February 1937 |
18 April 1940 |
| 66. |
|
The Lord Baden-PowellRobert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
|
11 May 1937 |
8 January 1941 |
| 67. |
|
Sir Arthur Stanley EddingtonSir Arthur Stanley Eddington, OM, FRS was a British astrophysicist of the early 20th century. He was also a philosopher of science and a popularizer of science...
|
9 June 1938 |
22 November 1944 |
| 68. |
|
The Lord Chatfield Admiral of the Fleet The Rt Hon. Sir Alfred Ernle Montacute Chatfield, 1st Baron Chatfield, GCB, OM, KCMG, CVO, PC was a Royal Navy officer and held the position of First Sea Lord from 1933 to 1939...
|
2 January 1939 |
15 November 1967 |
| 69. |
|
Sir James Hopwood Jeans Sir James Hopwood Jeans OM FRS MA DSc ScD LLD was an English physicist, astronomer and mathematician.-Background:...
|
2 January 1939 |
16 September 1946 |
| 70. |
|
The Lord NewallMarshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Louis Norton Newall, 1st Baron Newall GCB OM GCMG CBE AM , was a British soldier and airman, who headed the Royal Air Force as the Chief of the Air Staff during the early part of the Second World War before serving as the sixth Governor-General of New Zealand...
|
29 October 1940 |
30 November 1963 |
| 71. |
/ |
George Gilbert Aimé Murray George Gilbert Aimé Murray, OM was an Australian born British classical scholar and public intellectual, with connections in many spheres. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greece, perhaps the leading authority in the first half of the twentieth century...
|
1 January 1941 |
20 May 1957 |
| 72. |
|
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...
|
1 January 1942 |
1 January 1944 |
| 73. |
|
Augustus Edwin JohnAugustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
|
11 June 1942 |
31 October 1961 |
| 74. |
|
The Lord Adrian Edgar Douglas Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian OM PRS was a British electrophysiologist and recipient of the 1932 Nobel Prize for Physiology, won jointly with Sir Charles Sherrington for work on the function of neurons....
|
11 June 1942 |
4 August 1977 |
| 75. |
|
Sir William Searle HoldsworthSir William Searle Holdsworth, OM, KC, DCL, LL.D, FBA, was Vinerian Professor of English Law at Oxford University and a legal historian, amongst whose works is the 17 volume History of English Law.-Early life:...
|
1 January 1943 |
2 January 1944 |
| 76. |
|
Sir Alfred Dudley Pickman Rogers PoundAdmiral of the Fleet Sir Alfred Dudley Pickman Rogers Pound GCB OM GCVO RN was a British naval officer who served as First Sea Lord, professional head of the Royal Navy from June 1939 to September 1943.- Early life :...
|
3 September 1943 |
21 October 1943 |
| 77. |
|
The Lord Passfield |
8 June 1944 |
13 October 1947 |
| 78. |
|
Sir Henry Hallett Dale Sir Henry Hallett Dale, OM, GBE, PRS was an English pharmacologist and physiologist. For his study of acetylcholine as agent in the chemical transmission of nerve impulses he shared the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Otto Loewi.-Biography:Henry Hallett Dale was born in Islington,...
|
8 June 1944 |
23 July 1968 |
| 79. |
|
Sir Giles Gilbert ScottSir Giles Gilbert Scott, OM, FRIBA was an English architect known for his work on such buildings as Liverpool Cathedral and Battersea Power Station and designing the iconic red telephone box....
|
8 June 1944 |
8 February 1960 |
| 80. |
/ |
Alfred North Whitehead Alfred North Whitehead, OM FRS was an English mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on algebra, logic, foundations of mathematics, philosophy of science, physics, metaphysics, and education...
|
1 January 1945 |
30 December 1947 |
| 82. |
|
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
|
1 January 1946 |
24 January 1965 |
| 83. |
|
The Viscount Portal of HungerfordMarshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Frederick Algernon Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford KG GCB OM DSO & Bar MC was a senior Royal Air Force officer and an advocate of strategic bombing...
|
1 January 1946 |
22 April 1971 |
| 84. |
|
The Viscount AlanbrookeField Marshal The Rt. Hon. Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, KG, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO & Bar , was a senior commander in the British Army. He was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff during the Second World War, and was promoted to Field Marshal in 1944...
|
13 June 1946 |
17 June 1963 |
| 85. |
|
The Viscount Cunningham of HyndhopeAdmiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope KT, GCB, OM, DSO and two Bars , was a British admiral of the Second World War. Cunningham was widely known by his nickname, "ABC"....
|
13 June 1946 |
12 June 1963 |
| 86. |
|
The Earl of Halifax Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, , known as The Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and as The Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was one of the most senior British Conservative politicians of the 1930s, during which he held several senior ministerial posts, most notably as...
|
13 June 1946 |
23 December 1959 |
| 87. |
 |
Jan Christiaan SmutsJan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
|
1 January 1947 |
11 September 1950 |
| 89. |
 |
William Lyon Mackenzie KingWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
|
17 November 1947 |
22 July 1950 |
| 90. |
|
Thomas Stearns EliotThomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
|
1 January 1948 |
4 January 1965 |
| 91. |
|
Sir Robert Robinson |
9 June 1949 |
8 February 1975 |
| 92. |
|
The Earl RussellBertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
|
9 June 1949 |
2 February 1970 |
| 93. |
|
Sir Alexander George Montagu Cadogan |
1 January 1951 |
9 July 1968 |
| 94. |
|
The Viscount TrenchardMarshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...
|
1 January 1951 |
10 February 1956 |
| 95. |
|
George Edward MooreGeorge Edward Moore OM, was an English philosopher. He was, with Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Gottlob Frege, one of the founders of the analytic tradition in philosophy...
|
7 June 1951 |
24 October 1958 |
| 96. |
|
The Earl AttleeClement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
|
5 November 1951 |
8 October 1967 |
| 97. |
|
Wilder Graves Penfield Wilder Graves Penfield, OM, CC, CMG, FRS was an American born Canadian neurosurgeon. During his life he was called "the greatest living Canadian"...
|
1 January 1953 |
5 April 1976 |
| 98. |
|
Walter John de la Mare Walter John de la Mare , OM CH was an English poet, short story writer and novelist, probably best remembered for his works for children and the poem "The Listeners"....
|
1 June 1953 |
22 June 1956 |
| 100. |
|
The Lord Hailey William Malcolm Hailey, 1st Baron Hailey OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC , known as Sir Malcolm Hailey between 1921 and 1936, was a British peer and administrator in British India.-Education:...
|
31 May 1956 |
1 June 1969 |
| 101. |
|
Sir John Douglas CockcroftSir John Douglas Cockcroft OM KCB CBE FRS was a British physicist. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for splitting the atomic nucleus with Ernest Walton, and was instrumental in the development of nuclear power....
|
1 January 1957 |
18 September 1967 |
| 102. |
|
The Viscount Waverley John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, PC, PC was a British civil servant then politician who served as a minister under Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill as Home Secretary, Lord President of the Council and Chancellor of the Exchequer...
|
8 December 1957 |
4 January 1958 |
| 103. |
|
Sir Frank Macfarlane BurnetSir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, , usually known as Macfarlane or Mac Burnet, was an Australian virologist best known for his contributions to immunology....
|
12 June 1958 |
31 August 1985 |
| 104. |
|
The Viscount SamuelHerbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel GCB OM GBE PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Early years:...
|
21 November 1958 |
2 February 1963 |
| 105. |
|
The Earl Alexander of TunisField Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was a British military commander and field marshal of Anglo-Irish descent who served with distinction in both world wars and, afterwards, as Governor General of Canada, the 17th since Canadian...
|
23 April 1960 |
16 June 1969 |
| 106. |
|
Sir Cyril Norman HinshelwoodSir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood OM PRS was an English physical chemist.Born in London, his parents were Norman Macmillan Hinshelwood, a chartered accountant, and Ethe Frances née Smith. He was educated first in Canada, returning in 1905 on the death of his father to a small flat in Chelsea where he...
|
23 April 1960 |
9 October 1967 |
| 107. |
|
Graham Sutherland Graham Vivien Sutherland OM was an English artist.-Early life:He was born in Streatham, attending Homefield Preparatory School, Sutton. He was then educated at Epsom College, Surrey before going up to Goldsmiths, University of London...
|
23 April 1960 |
17 February 1980 |
| 108. |
|
Sir Geoffrey de HavillandCaptain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, OM, CBE, AFC, RDI, FRAeS, was a British aviation pioneer and aircraft engineer...
|
23 November 1962 |
21 May 1965 |
| 109. |
|
Sir Basil Urwin SpenceSir Basil Urwin Spence, OM, OBE, RA was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Modernist/Brutalist style.-Training:Spence was born in Bombay, India, the son of Urwin...
|
23 November 1962 |
19 November 1976 |
| 110. |
|
Sir Owen DixonSir Owen Dixon, OM, GCMG, KC Australian judge and diplomat, was the sixth Chief Justice of Australia. A justice of the High Court for thirty-five years, Dixon was one of the leading jurists in the English-speaking world and is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever jurist.-Education:Dixon...
|
29 May 1963 |
7 July 1972 |
| 112. |
|
George Peabody Gooch George Peabody Gooch OM, CH was a British journalist, historian and Liberal Party politician. A follower of Lord Acton, he never held an academic position, but knew the work of historians of continental Europe.-Early life:...
|
16 August 1963 |
31 August 1968 |
| 113. |
|
Henry Spencer Moore Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
|
16 August 1963 |
31 August 1986 |
| 114. |
|
The Lord BrittenEdward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
|
23 March 1965 |
4 December 1976 |
| 115. |
|
Dorothy Mary Hodgkin |
23 March 1965 |
29 July 1994 |
| 116. |
|
The Earl Mountbatten of BurmaAdmiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
|
15 July 1965 |
27 August 1979 |
| 117. |
/ |
The Lord Florey |
15 July 1965 |
21 February 1968 |
| 118. |
|
The Lord BlackettPatrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, Baron Blackett OM CH FRS was an English experimental physicist known for his work on cloud chambers, cosmic rays, and paleomagnetism. He also made a major contribution in World War II advising on military strategy and developing Operational Research...
|
20 November 1967 |
13 July 1974 |
| 119. |
|
Sir William Turner Walton Sir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera...
|
20 November 1967 |
8 March 1983 |
| 120. |
|
Benjamin Lauder Nicholson Benjamin Lauder "Ben" Nicholson, OM was a British painter of abstract compositions , landscape and still-life.-Background and Training:...
|
23 April 1968 |
6 February 1982 |
| 121. |
/ |
The Lord Zuckerman |
23 April 1968 |
1 April 1993 |
| 123. |
|
Edward Morgan ForsterEdward Morgan Forster OM, CH was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society...
|
1 January 1969 |
7 June 1970 |
| 124. |
|
Malcolm John MacDonaldMalcolm John MacDonald OM, PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Background:MacDonald was the son of Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald and Margaret MacDonald. Like his father he was born in Lossiemouth, Moray...
|
14 July 1969 |
11 January 1981 |
| 125. |
|
The Lord PenneyWilliam George Penney, Baron Penney OM, KBE PhD, DSc, , FRS, FRSE, FIC, Hon FCGI was a British mathematician who was responsible for the development of British nuclear technology, following World War II...
|
14 July 1969 |
3 March 1991 |
| 126. |
|
Sir Geoffrey Ingram Taylor Sir Geoffrey Ingram Taylor OM was a British physicist, mathematician and expert on fluid dynamics and wave theory. His biographer and one-time student, George Batchelor, described him as "one of the most notable scientists of this century".-Biography:Taylor was born in St. John's Wood, London...
|
14 July 1969 |
27 June 1975 |
| 127. |
|
Dame Cicely Veronica Wedgwood Dame Veronica Wedgwood OM DBE was an English historian who generally published under the name C. V. Wedgwood...
|
14 July 1969 |
9 March 1997 |
| 128. |
|
John Cawte Beaglehole John Cawte Beaglehole, OM, CMG was a New Zealand historian whose greatest scholastic achievement was the editing of James Cook’s three journals of exploration, together with the writing of an acclaimed biography of Cook, published posthumously...
|
21 March 1970 |
10 October 1971 |
| 129. |
 |
Lester Bowles PearsonLester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
|
20 May 1971 |
27 December 1972 |
| 130. |
|
Sir Isaiah BerlinSir Isaiah Berlin OM, FBA was a British social and political theorist, philosopher and historian of ideas of Russian-Jewish origin, regarded as one of the leading thinkers of the twentieth century and a dominant liberal scholar of his generation...
|
20 May 1971 |
5 November 1997 |
| 131. |
|
Sir George Robert Freeman Edwards Sir George Robert Freeman Edwards, OM, CBE, FRS, DL , was a British aircraft designer and industrialist.Edwards was born in Highams Park, England...
|
20 May 1971 |
2 March 2003 |
| 132. |
|
Sir Alan Lloyd HodgkinSir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, OM, KBE, PRS was a British physiologist and biophysicist, who shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Andrew Huxley and John Eccles....
|
17 April 1973 |
20 December 1998 |
| 133. |
|
Paul Adrien Maurice DiracPaul Adrien Maurice Dirac, OM, FRS was an English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics...
|
17 April 1973 |
20 October 1984 |
| 134. |
|
The Earl of StocktonMaurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
|
2 April 1976 |
29 December 1986 |
| 135. |
|
The Lord Hinton of Bankside |
2 April 1976 |
22 June 1983 |
| 136. |
|
The Lord ClarkKenneth McKenzie Clark, Baron Clark, OM, CH, KCB, FBA was a British author, museum director, broadcaster, and one of the best-known art historians of his generation...
|
2 April 1976 |
21 May 1983 |
| 137. |
/ |
Sir Ronald Syme Sir Ronald Syme, OM, FBA was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. Long associated with Oxford University, he is widely regarded as the 20th century's greatest historian of ancient Rome...
|
2 April 1976 |
4 September 1989 |
| 138. |
|
The Lord Todd Alexander Robertus Todd, Baron Todd, OM, PRS FRSE was a Scottish biochemist whose research on the structure and synthesis of nucleotides, nucleosides, and nucleotide coenzymes gained him the 1957 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.Todd was born near Glasgow, attended Allan Glen's School and graduated from...
|
24 October 1977 |
10 January 1997 |
| 139. |
|
The Lord Franks |
24 October 1977 |
15 October 1992 |
| 140. |
|
Sir Frederick William Mallandaine AshtonSir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton OM, CH, CBE was a leading international dancer and choreographer. He is most noted as the founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet in London, but also worked as a director and choreographer of opera, film and theatre revues.-Early life:Ashton was born at...
|
24 October 1977 |
18 October 1988 |
| 141. |
|
John Boynton Priestley John Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
|
24 October 1977 |
14 August 1984 |
| 142. |
|
The Lord OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
|
6 February 1981 |
11 July 1989 |
| 143. |
|
Sir Peter Brian Medawar Sir Peter Brian Medawar OM CBE FRS was a British biologist, whose work on graft rejection and the discovery of acquired immune tolerance was fundamental to the practice of tissue and organ transplants...
|
6 February 1981 |
2 October 1987 |
| 144. |
|
The Lord CheshireGroup Captain Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO and Two Bars, DFC was a highly decorated British RAF pilot during the Second World War....
|
6 February 1981 |
31 July 1992 |
| 147. |
|
Sir Sidney Robert NolanSir Sidney Robert Nolan OM, AC was one of Australia's best-known painters and printmakers.-Early life:Nolan was born in Carlton, a suburb of Melbourne, on 22 April 1917. He was the eldest of four children. His family later moved to St Kilda. Nolan attended the Brighton Road State School and...
|
11 November 1983 |
28 November 1992 |
| 148. |
|
Sir Michael Kemp Tippett Sir Michael Kemp Tippett OM CH CBE was an English composer.In his long career he produced a large body of work, including five operas, three large-scale choral works, four symphonies, five string quartets, four piano sonatas, concertos and concertante works, song cycles and incidental music...
|
11 November 1983 |
8 January 1998 |
| 150. |
|
Henry Graham GreeneHenry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
|
11 February 1986 |
3 April 1991 |
| 152. |
|
Sir Frank WhittleAir Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force engineer officer. He is credited with independently inventing the turbojet engine Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS (1 June 1907 – 9 August 1996) was a British Royal Air...
|
11 February 1986 |
9 August 1996 |
| 153. |
|
The Lord MenuhinYehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
|
25 February 1987 |
12 March 1999 |
| 154. |
|
Sir Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich Sir Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich, OM, CBE was an Austrian-born art historian who became naturalized British citizen in 1947. He spent most of his working life in the United Kingdom...
|
15 February 1988 |
3 November 2001 |
| 155. |
|
Max Ferdinand Perutz Max Ferdinand Perutz, OM, CH, CBE, FRS was an Austrian-born British molecular biologist, who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with John Kendrew, for their studies of the structures of hemoglobin and globular proteins...
|
15 February 1988 |
6 February 2002 |
| 156. |
|
Dame Cicely Mary Saunders Dame Cicely Mary Saunders, was a prominent Anglican, nurse, physician and writer, involved with many international universities...
|
30 November 1989 |
14 July 2005 |
| 157. |
|
The Lord Porter of Luddenham George Hornidge Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham, OM, FRS was a British chemist.- Life :Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, South Yorkshire. He was educated at Thorne Grammar School, then won a scholarship to the University of Leeds and gained his first degree in chemistry...
|
30 November 1989 |
31 August 2002 |
| 159. |
|
Dame Joan Alston SutherlandDame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
|
29 November 1991 |
10 October 2010 |
| 160. |
/ |
Francis Harry Compton CrickFrancis Harry Compton Crick OM FRS was an English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist, and most noted for being one of two co-discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953, together with James D. Watson...
|
27 November 1991 |
28 July 2004 |
| 161. |
|
Dame Ninette de Valois Dame Ninette de Valois, OM, CH, DBE, FRAD, FISTD was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet...
|
17 November 1992 |
8 March 2001 |
| 163. |
|
The Lord Jenkins of Hillhead Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
|
6 December 1993 |
5 January 2003 |
| 164. |
|
Lucian Michael FreudLucian Michael Freud, OM, CH was a British painter. Known chiefly for his thickly impasted portrait and figure paintings, he was widely considered the pre-eminent British artist of his time...
|
6 December 1993 |
20 July 2011 |
| 167. |
|
Sir Arthur John GielgudSir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
|
9 December 1996 |
21 May 2000 |
| 168. |
|
The Lord Denning Alfred Thompson "Tom" Denning, Baron Denning, OM, PC, DL, KC , commonly known as Lord Denning, was a British soldier, mathematician, lawyer and judge. He gained degrees in mathematics and law at Oxford University, although his studies were disrupted by his service in the First World War...
|
25 November 1997 |
5 March 1999 |
| 170. |
|
Sir Denis Eric Rooke Sir Denis Eric Rooke, OM, CBE, FRS, FREng was a British industrialist and engineer.-Personal life:Rooke was born in New Cross, London, the younger son of F. G. Rooke. He studied Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering at University College London, then served in REME until 1949, attaining...
|
25 November 1997 |
2 September 2008 |
| 171. |
|
Edward James HughesEdward James Hughes OM , more commonly known as Ted Hughes, was an English poet and children's writer. Critics routinely rank him as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.Hughes was married to American poet Sylvia Plath, from 1956 until...
|
10 August 1998 |
28 October 1998 |
| 172. |
|
George Haliburton Hume |
25 May 1999 |
17 June 1999 |
| 173. |
|
Sir James Whyte Black Sir James Whyte Black, OM, FRS, FRSE, FRCP was a Scottish doctor and pharmacologist. He spent his career both as researcher and as an academic at several universities. Black established the physiology department at the University of Glasgow, where he became interested in the effects of adrenaline...
|
9 May 2000 |
22 March 2010 |