Order of the Companions of Honour

Order of the Companions of Honour
Riband and badge of the "Companions of Honour"
Awarded by the sovereign of the Commonwealth realms
Type	Order
Motto	IN ACTION FAITHFUL AND IN HONOUR CLEAR
Awarded for	Nationally important service
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	Queen Elizabeth II
Grades (w/ post-nominals)	Companion (CH)
Established	1917
Ribbon bar of the order

Lord Tweedsmuir as Governor General of Canada wearing the Companion of Honour badge around his neck

The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V in June 1917, as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion. It is often considered the junior order to the Order of Merit.

The order consists of the sovereign, plus no more than 65 Companions of Honour with, originally, a quota of 45 members for the United Kingdom, 7 for Australia, 2 for New Zealand and 11 for other Commonwealth realms. It has not been awarded in Australia since 1992 (the last recipient being in 1981), where it has been displaced by the Order of Australia. Additionally, foreigners from outside the realm may be added as "honorary members". Membership of the order confers no title, or precedence, but recipients of this one-class order are entitled to use the post-nominal letters "CH".

The insignia of the Order consists of an oval medallion with an oak tree, a shield with the royal arms hanging from one branch, and on the left a mounted knight in armour. The badge's clear blue border bears the motto IN ACTION FAITHFUL AND IN HONOUR CLEAR (Alexander Pope's description (in iambic pentameter) in his Epistle to Mr Addison of James Craggs, later used on Craggs' monument in Westminster Abbey) in gold letters, and the oval is surmounted by an imperial crown. Men wear the badge on a ribbon (red with golden border threads) around their necks, and women on a bow at the left shoulder.

Current members

• Sovereign
  • Elizabeth II
• Members
  1. The Lord Ashley of Stoke CH PC (1975)
  2. Malcolm Fraser AC CH (1976)
  3. The Lord Glenamara CH PC (1976)
  4. Sir Michael Somare GCL GCMG CH CF (1978)
  5. The Lord Healey CH MBE PC (1979)
  6. Sir Brian Talboys AC CH KCB (1981)
  7. Doug Anthony AC CH (1981)
  8. Frederick Sanger OM CH CBE FRS (1981)
  9. The Lord Carrington KG GCMG CH MC PC DL (1983)
  10. The Lord Tebbit CH PC (1987)
  11. Stephen Hawking CH CBE FRS FRSA (1989)
  12. The Lord Baker of Dorking CH PC (1992)
  13. The Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville CH PC (1992)
  14. The Lord King of Bridgwater CH PC (1992)
  15. Dame Janet Baker CH DBE (1993)
  16. The Lord Owen CH PC (1994)
  17. The Lord Hurd of Westwell CH CBE PC (1995)
  18. Sir David Attenborough OM CH CVO CBE FRS FZS (1996)
  19. The Lord Howe of Aberavon CH PC QC (1996)
  20. The Lord Heseltine CH PC (1997)
  21. David Hockney OM CH RA (1997)
  22. Peter Brook CH CBE (1998)
  23. Eric Hobsbawm CH FBA (1998)
  24. Sir John Major KG CH PC (1998)
  25. The Lord Patten of Barnes CH PC (1998)
  26. Bridget Riley CH CBE (1998)
  27. John de Chastelain CH OC CMM CD (1999)
  28. Doris Lessing CH OBE (2000)
  29. Sir Harrison Birtwistle CH (2001)
  30. Sir Colin Davis CH CBE (2001)
  31. Sir George Christie CH (2001)
  32. Sir Michael Howard OM CH CBE MC FBA (2002)
  33. The Lord Hannay of Chiswick GCMG CH (2003)
  34. Sir Howard Hodgkin CH CBE (2003)
  35. James Lovelock CH CBE FRS (2003)
  36. Dan McKenzie CH FRS (2003)
  37. Dame Judi Dench CH DBE FRSA (2005)
  38. Anthony Pawson CH OC OOnt FRS FRSC (2006)
  39. Sir Ian McKellen CH CBE (2008)
  40. The Lord Rogers of Riverside CH (2008)
  41. The Lord Howard of Lympne CH PC QC (2011)
• Honorary Members
  1. Lee Kuan Yew GCMG CH (1970)
  2. Sydney Brenner CH FRS (1987)
  3. Amartya Sen CH (2000)
  4. Bernard Haitink CH KBE (2002)

See also

• List of Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
• List of honorary British Knights
• List of people who have declined a British honour