1904 Birthday Honours facts for kids

The 1904 Birthday Honours were special awards given out on 9 November 1904. These awards celebrated the birthday of King Edward VII. They were a way for the King to thank important people across the United Kingdom and the British Empire for their hard work and service.

These awards were announced in The Times newspaper. More details about them were also published in The London Gazette, which is like an official government newspaper. The people who received these honours were listed with their titles before they got their new award. They were organized by the type of honour and then by their rank or whether their service was military or civilian.

King's Special Advisors: The Privy Council

The Privy Council is a group of important people who advise the King. Being part of this group is a very high honour.

• Sir Alexander Fuller-Acland-Hood, a Baronet and a Member of Parliament (MP), joined this group.

Special Hereditary Titles: Baronets

A Baronet is a special title that can be passed down in a family, like a knight but with a hereditary rank.

• Sir Charles Cayzer, an MP.
• Sir James Fortescue Flannery, an MP.
• Edward Boyle, a King's Counsel (a type of senior lawyer).
• James Heath, an MP.
• Michael Barker Nairn, a businessman.

Knights for Service: Knight Bachelor

A Knight Bachelor is a person who has been given a knighthood by the King for their achievements. This title is not passed down through families. Many different kinds of people received this honour.

• Theodore V. S. Angier.
• George W. Baxter.
• Richard M. Beachcroft.
• J. A. Bellamy.
• Henry Cook, who was the Secretary to the Royal Company of Archers.
• John Thomas McCraith.
• Malcolm McNeill, who worked for the Local Government Board for Scotland.
• A. Major, who used to be the Director of Army Contracts.
• Charles H. Marriott, a doctor.
• Shirley F. Murphy, a doctor.
• Thomas Pink.
• Professor W. J. Sinclair.
• Dr. Joseph Wilson Swan, a famous inventor and scientist (a Fellow of the Royal Society).
• Aston Webb, a famous architect (a Royal Academician).

Knights from the Colonies

People serving in the British colonies also received knighthoods for their work.

• William Henry Horwood, the Chief Justice (top judge) in Newfoundland.
• Stephen Herbert Gatty, the Chief Justice in Gibraltar.
• Walter Llewellyn Lewis, the Chief Justice in British Honduras.
• The Honourable Alfred Sandlings Cowley, the Speaker (leader of the assembly) in Queensland, Australia.
• The Honourable William Henry Bundey, a former judge in South Australia.
• Matthew Henry Stephen, who was acting as the Chief Justice in New South Wales, Australia.
• George Henry Jenkins, who worked for the Parliament in Victoria, Australia.
• Major Allan Perry, a doctor and medical officer in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath

The Order of the Bath is a very old and important award given for excellent service, usually by military officers or high-ranking government officials.

Highest Rank: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB)

This is the highest rank in the Order of the Bath.

Military Service

• Admiral Sir Compton Edward Domvile, a high-ranking naval officer.

Next Rank: Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB)

This is the second highest rank in the Order of the Bath.

Military Service

• Vice-Admiral Arthur Dalrymple Fanshawe.
• Vice-Admiral Sir Lewis Anthony Beaumont.
• Lieutenant-General William Purvis Wright.

Civilian Service

• Sir Arthur Henry Hardinge, a diplomat.
• William Henry Mahoney Christie, a famous astronomer.

Member Rank: Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)

This is a lower rank within the Order of the Bath.

Military Service

• Major-General William Campbell.

Civilian Service

• Chief Inspector of Machinery James Melrose from the Royal Navy.
• Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux, a British Consul in Berbera.
• R. Gundry.
• Charles Alexander Harris, from the Colonial Office (which managed the colonies).
• The Honourable Charles Algernon Parsons, a famous engineer and inventor (a Fellow of the Royal Society).

Order of Saint Michael and Saint George

This order is usually given to people who have done great work in the British colonies or in foreign affairs.

Highest Rank: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG)

• Sir Montagu Frederick Ommanney, who was a very senior official in the Colonial Office.
• His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Francis Leveson Bertie, who was the British Ambassador to Italy.

Next Rank: Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)

• John Pickersgill Rodger, the Governor of the Gold Coast Colony (now Ghana).
• William Grey-Wilson, the Governor of the Bahama Islands.
• Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott, the Governor of the Colony of British Honduras (now Belize).
• Thomas Ekins Fuller, who represented the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope (in South Africa) in London.
• Vice-Admiral Reginald Neville Custance.

Member Rank: Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)

• Captain Robert Archibald James Montgomerie, a naval officer who protected fisheries in Newfoundland.
• The Honourable Alfred Dobson, who represented Tasmania, Australia, in London.
• Philip Clarke Cork, the Colonial Secretary of British Honduras.
• Charles Gavan Duffy, who worked for the Parliament of Australia.
• Major John Alder Burdon, a First Class Resident in the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria.
• Francis Watts, who was the Director of Agriculture in Antigua and for the Leeward Islands.
• Major Dudley Henry Alexander, who was a private secretary to the Governor of New Zealand.
• Charles Walter Boyd, who worked for the Rhodes Trust.
• Mansfeldt de Cardonnel Findlay, a diplomat in Cairo.
• Colonel Wallscourt Hely-Hutchinson Waters, who was a military expert at British Embassies in Russia and Germany.

Honorary Award

• John Gerolimato, a British Vice-Consul in Harar, received an honorary award for his help during operations in Somaliland.

Royal Victorian Order

The Royal Victorian Order is a special award given by the King himself, often for personal service to the Royal Family.

Highest Rank: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)

• Charles Henry, Duke of Richmond and Gordon, a high-ranking military officer.

Next Rank: Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO)

• Major-General Ronald Bertram Lane.

Honorary Awards

• Henri Charles Joseph, Marquis de Breteuil.
• Alfred Therese Armand, Marquis du Lau d'Allemand.

Member Rank: Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)

Honorary Award

• Capitaine de Frégate Kimon Jean Lembessis, who was an aide to Prince George of Greece.

Member of the Royal Victorian Order, 4th class (MVO)

• Esme William Howard, who was the British Consul-General for the Island of Crete.