Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom
Medals and Decorations of the United Kingdom are that sooner or currently awarded by the monarch in the United Kingdom state of Merit. Outside this system is being awarded a knighthood not belonging to any order of knighthood ( "Knight Bachelor" ).
Order of Knights
The supervision of the state order of knights (English: orders ), the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood in London, to which also the insignia must be returned upon the death of the religious person. Which ones depends on the particular award and is different depending on the statute. As an umbrella term for this type of Order is in the United Kingdom, the term " orders of chivalry " needed. For those orders, bring the highest classes of the simultaneous award of the knighthood (as Sir or Dame) with him, is to name the "orders of knighthood " usual.
Order with knighthood
Currently awarded:
- Order of the Garter
- Thistle Order
- Order of the Bath
- Order of St Michael and St George
- Royal Victorian Order
- Order of the British Empire
No longer awarded:
- Order of Saint Patrick
- Order of the Star of India
- Order of the Indian Empire
- Order of the Crown of India
Order without knighthood
Currently awarded:
- Order of Merit
- Order of the Companions of Honour
- Distinguished Service Order
- Imperial Service Order
No longer awarded:
- Order of Burma
Decorations ( decorations )
Decorations can take the form of merit crosses and medals.
Overview of the ranking ( precedence )
The system of precedence ( precedence ) of the individual orders and decorations is very detailed and complex, so that only the essential features are described below:
Victoria Cross and George Cross are the only decorations in the order before the order of knighthood, the former Hoforden ( Order of the Garter, Thistle Order, Order of Saint Patrick ) are at the forefront here. The following are the members of the Order of Merit.
Then come the divided into several stages religious orders of knighthood, according to the date of their foundation: Order of the Bath - Order of St Michael and St George - Royal Victorian Order - Order of the British Empire. The members of the higher level of a lower order always enjoy precedence over lower-level members of a higher order ( in concrete terms this means that, for example, a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire stands on a Companion of the Order of the Bath ). The Companions of Honour are filed immediately after the major crossing of the multi-stage order of knights in this scheme, members of the Distinguished Service Order after the Komturen these Knights.
Below the order of knights follow the decorations, the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (which can be awarded to all British soldiers) prevail over those awards enjoys, each of which was assigned to a military unit (Distinguished Service Cross for members of the Navy, Military Cross for members of the Army and Distinguished Flying Cross for members of the Air Force ).