Order Rank
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB)
The highest rank within the Order of the Bath, recognising exceptional service.
GCB
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 Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) recognises exceptional military or civil service. 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 national leadership and military or civil 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 GCB. Recipients wear the grand Cross badge, sash, star. In the order of precedence it sits above knight Commander (KCB).
It signifies exceptional national service, representing leadership, service and excellence.
Recipients
29 people in the record. Filter by name, citation, year, region or theme.
29 people
2023
2020
Stephen John Hillier
PersonKnight Or Dame Grand Cross Of The Order Of The Bath · 2020
Philip Andrew Jones, C.B.
PersonKnight Or Dame Grand Cross Of The Order Of The Bath · 2020
Sally Davies
PersonKnight Or Dame Grand Cross Of The Order Of The Bath · 2020
London, Greater London
“For services to Public Health and to Research.”
2019
2018
2016
2015
2013
2012
2011
John Nicholas Reynolds Houghton
PersonKnight Or Dame Grand Cross Of The Order Of The Bath · 2011
Sir Augustine Thomas O'donnell
PersonKnight Or Dame Grand Cross Of The Order Of The Bath · 2011
London
“Cabinet Secretary, Head of the Home Civil Service and Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office.”
Sir David John Normington
PersonKnight Or Dame Grand Cross Of The Order Of The Bath · 2011
Surrey
“Lately Permanent Secretary, Home Office.”
David Julian Richards
PersonKnight Or Dame Grand Cross Of The Order Of The Bath · 2011
2010
2009
2008
2006
2005
2004
Linked data
The highest grade of the Order of the Bath (Knight or Dame Grand Cross); recipients are styled Sir or Dame and use the post-nominal GCB.
- Post-nominal
- GCB
- Wikidata
- Q12177451
- The Gazette ontology
- gaz:DameGrandCrossOrderOfBathgaz:KnightGrandCrossOrderOfBath
From the Honoria honours vocabulary (SKOS). exactMatch = Wikidata; closeMatch = The Gazette honours ontology (official but a 2008–2015 beta).
Related honours
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)CBE
- Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)CVO
- Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)CMG
- Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)CB
- Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH)CH
- Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG)DCMG