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Order Rank

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB)

A senior rank within the Order of the Bath for distinguished military or civil service.

KCB
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) ribbon
Insignia of the Order of the Bath
Insignia · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Awarded over time

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) appointments by year, split by honours list.

Honoriahonoria.co.uk

Honours rounds

The rounds behind the chart - open one to see the recipients.

  1. 2026New Year (2) · Birthday (1)
  2. 2025New Year (4) · Birthday (1)
  3. 2024New Year (2) · Birthday (4)
  4. 2023New Year (4) · Birthday (3)
  5. 2022New Year (3) · Birthday (3)
  6. 2021New Year (2) · Birthday (3)
  7. 2020New Year (3) · Birthday (3)
  8. 2019New Year (3) · Birthday (3)
  9. 2018New Year (2) · Birthday (3)
  10. 2017New Year (2) · Birthday (3)
  11. 2016New Year (2) · Birthday (5)
  12. 2015New Year (3)
  13. 2014New Year (6) · Birthday (2)
  14. 2013New Year (6) · Birthday (3)
  15. 2012New Year (5) · Birthday (2)
  16. 2011New Year (4) · Birthday (4)
  17. 2010New Year (3) · Birthday (2)
  18. 2009New Year (5) · Birthday (5)
  19. 2008New Year (6) · Birthday (1)
  20. 2007New Year (1) · Birthday (3)
  21. 2006New Year (2) · Birthday (4)
  22. 2005New Year (3) · Birthday (2)
  23. 2004New Year (2) · Birthday (3)
  24. 2003New Year (3) · Birthday (2)
  25. 2002New Year (5) · Birthday (3)
  26. 2001New Year (5) · Birthday (5)
  27. 2000Birthday (5)

Topics

All topics

The topics most recognised among Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) recipients, sized by number of people. Click a tile to explore.

Public Service20Public Service — 20Government3Government — 3Law2Law — 2Public Health2Public Health — 2NHS1NHS — 1Defence1Defence — 1Public Sector Audit1Public Sector Audit — 1Criminal Justice1Criminal Justice — 1Devolution1Devolution — 1Tropical Med…1Tropical Medicine — 1Transport1Transport — 1Welfare1Welfare — 1Housing1Housing — 1Urban Pla…1Urban Planning — 1Science a…1Science and Technology — 1

Topics by number of recipients

A ranked list of every topic recognised among Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) recipients is available below - show it to browse and filter the full set.

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His Majesty's Government. The name derives from an elaborate medieval ceremony for preparing a candidate to receive his knighthood, of which ritual bathing was an element. While not all knights went through such an elaborate ceremony, knights so created were known as "knights of the Bath".

Background from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

About this honour

The Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) recognises high-level service and leadership. It was established in 1725 by King George I, and is conferred by the British Crown.

It is awarded to senior military officers and civil servants, recognising impact at national level, in areas such as leadership, service and excellence.

Candidates are put forward through government nomination, assessed by the honours committee and approved by the Sovereign. Appointments are announced in the New Year Honours and the King's Birthday Honours. Recipients are invested at a royal ceremony.

Recipients take the formal title “Sir”. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters KCB. Recipients wear the badge, star, sash. In the order of precedence it sits above companion (CB) and below grand Cross (GCB).

It signifies high-level leadership and service, representing service, excellence and leadership.

Recipients

166 people in the record. Filter by name, citation, year, region or theme.

166 people

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

Linked data

Knight Commander, the second grade of the Order of the Bath for men; recipients are styled Sir and use the post-nominal KCB.

Canonical URI
honoria.co.uk/id/honours/knight-commander-order-of-bath
Post-nominal
KCB
Part of
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
Wikidata
Q12177470
The Gazette ontology
gaz:KnightCommmanderOrderOfBath

From the Honoria honours vocabulary (SKOS). exactMatch = Wikidata; closeMatch = The Gazette honours ontology (official but a 2008–2015 beta).

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