The 1940 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were published on 9 July 1940.
The list was postponed from June 13, the official observance of the king's birthday, because of the Cabinet changes in May. There were no civilian awards or peerages granted because of the ongoing war; all honours were given in recognition of war service.
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then military divisions (Royal Navy, Army, etc.) as appropriate.
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB)
Royal Navy Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Morton Forbes
Army General Sir John Francis Stanhope Duke Coleridge Indian Army.
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB)
Royal Navy Vice-Admiral Thomas Hugh Binney Vice-Admiral Geoffrey Layton Vice-Admiral George Hamilton D'Oyly Lyon Vice-Admiral Charles Gordon Ramsey
Army Lieutenant General Robert Hadden Haining Colonel Commandant, Royal Artillery. Major General Hastings Lionel Ismay Indian Army. Lieutenant General James Handyside Marshall-Cornwall Colonel Commandant, Royal Artillery. Lieutenant General Henry Maitland Wilson Colonel Commandant, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own).
Royal Air Force Air Marshal Arthur Sheridan Barratt Acting Air Marshal Richard Edmund Charles Peirse Acting Air Marshal Charles Frederick Algernon Portal
Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)
Royal Navy Rear-Admiral Alban Thomas Buckley Curteis. Surgeon Rear-Admiral Sheldon Francis Dudley Engineer Rear-Admiral Samuel Harrison Dunlop. Major General Alfred Leonard Forster Rear-Admiral Ronald Hamilton Curzon Hallifax. Rear-Admiral Arthur John Layard Murray Rear-Admiral Patrick Macnamara (retired) Rear-Admiral Arthur Francis Pridham. Rear-Admiral William Eric Campbell Tait Rear-Admiral Algernon Usborne Willis
Army Major General Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson (late The Seaforth Highlanders (Rossshire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's)). Major General Clarence August Bird (late Royal Engineers). Colonel Ernest Marshall Cowell (late Royal Army Medical Corps, Territorial Army). Major General Henry Osborne Curtis (late The King's Royal Rifle Corps). Major General (acting Lieutenant General) Arthur Nugent Floyer-Acland (late The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry). Major General Harold Edmund Franklyn Colonel, The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment). Colonel (acting Major General) Noel Mackintosh Stuart Irwin (late The Border Regiment). Colonel (acting Brigadier) Charles Edward Hudson (late The King's Own Scottish Borderers). Colonel (acting Brigadier) Sir Colin Arthur Jardine (late Royal Artillery). Major General Arthur Edward Grasett (late Royal Engineers). Colonel (acting Brigadier) John Gregson Halsted (late The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)). Major General Thomas George Gordon Heywood (late Royal Artillery). Colonel (Temp. Brigadier) Henry Temple Devereux Hickman Indian Army. Colonel (Temp. Brigadier) Hugh Robert Charles Lane Indian Army. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) the Hon. Edward Frederick Lawson (late Royal Artillery, Territorial Army). Colonel (Temp. Brigadier) Harold Victor Lewis Indian Army. Major General Harry Macdonald Indian Army. Major General Giffard Le Quesne Martel (late Royal Engineers). Major General Bernard Law Montgomery (late The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Major General (acting Lieutenant General) Hugh Royds Stokes Massy (late Royal Artillery). Major General Thomas Cochrane Newton (late Royal Artillery). Major General Ridley Pakenham Pakenham-Walsh (late Royal Engineers). Major General Richard Nugent O'Connor (late The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)). Major General (acting Lieutenant General) Bernard Charles Tolver Paget (late The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry). Major General Roderic Loraine Petre (late The Dorsetshire Regiment). Major General Robert Valentine Pollok (late Irish Guards). Major General George Brian Ogilvie Taylor (late Royal Engineers). Colonel (acting Brigadier) Ralph Chenevix Trench (late Royal Corps of Signals). Major General (acting Lieutenant General) Henry Colville Barclay Wemyss (late Royal Corps of Signals).
Royal Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Charles Hubert Boulby Blount Air Vice-Marshal William Sholto Douglas Air Vice-Marshal Douglas Claude Strathern Evill Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Travers Harris Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh Leigh-Mallory Air Commodore Reginald Lennox George Marix
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India
Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
General Sir Robert Archibald Cassels Commander-in-Chief in India.
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) Lieutenant Colonel Stanley James Cole Staff Officer, African Colonial Forces.
Order of the Indian Empire
Knight Commander (KCIE) Major General Chauncy Batho Dashwood Strettell Indian Army, Commander, Peshawar District.
Companion (CIE) Major General Stanley Woodburn Kirby British Service, Deputy Master-General of the Ordnance, Army Headquarters, India. Colonel (Honorary Brigadier) Herbert Charles Dibben (Retired List), lately Director of Veterinary Services in India. Colonel (Temp. Brigadier) Theophilus John Ponting Indian Army, Brigade Commander. Colonel (Temp. Brigadier) William le Couteur Brodrick, Indian Army, Director of Contracts, Army Headquarters, India.
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) Royal Navy Admiral Henry Ralph Crooke (Retired, Serving as Commodore, 2nd Class Royal Navy Reserves). Vice-Admiral Wilbraham Tennyson Randle Ford
Army Major General (acting Lieutenant General) Wilfrid Gordon Lindsell (late Royal Artillery). Major General (acting Lieutenant General) Henry Royds Pownall (late Royal Artillery).
Royal Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Patrick Henry Lyon Playfair
Colonies, Protectorates, etc. Major General John Evelyn Duigan New Zealand Staff Corps.
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) Royal Navy Captain Douglas Blake Fisher Captain Cecil Halliday Jepson Harcourt Captain Ralph Kerr Captain Reginald Maxwell Servaes
Army Lieutenant Colonel (acting Colonel) Edmund Charles Beard The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding). Colonel (acting Brigadier) Valentine Oakley Beuttler late Royal Army Service Corps. Colonel (acting Brigadier) Frederic William Lyon Bissett Retired Pay, Reserve of Officers, late Northamptonshire Regiment. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Reginald John Cash Territorial Army, late The Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Territorial Army). Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Sir Geoffrey Selby Church Territorial Army, late Royal Artillery, Territorial Army. Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Francis St. Clair Collins Royal Army Service Corps. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) John Scott Crawford late Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Colonel Basil Cranmer Dening late Royal Engineers. (Appointment to be dated 1 June 1940). Colonel Fitz-Alan Drayson (retired pay) late Royal Corps of Signals. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Charles Bannatyne Findlay late Royal Artillery. Colonel (acting Brigadier) Arthur Leslie Irvine Friend Reserve of Officers, late 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own)). Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Humfrey Myddelton Gale late Royal Army Service Corps. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Gerald Ian Gartlan late The Royal Ulster Rifles. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Claude le Bas Goldney Royal Army Service Corps. Colonel Ian Cameron Grant late The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. Colonel (acting Brigadier) Cyrus Greenslade late The Devonshire Regiment. Colonel (acting Brigadier) Charles Joseph Edwards Greenwood late Royal Engineers. Colonel Hugh William Roberts Hamilton late Royal Engineers. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Leonard Arthur Hawes late Royal Artillery. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Douglas McArthur Hogg late Royal Engineers. Colonel (acting Brigadier) Noel Galway Holmes late The East Yorkshire Regiment (The Duke of York's Own). Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Harold George Howson Territorial Army, late Royal Artillery, Territorial Army. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Balfour Oliphant Hutchison, late 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own). Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Maurice Denham Jephson, Territorial Army (Major), Retired Pay, Reserve of Officers, The Royal Norfolk Regiment. Colonel (acting Brigadier) Sir Oliver William Hargreaves Leese late Coldstream Guards. Colonel Reginald Henry Lorie, late The Royal Ulster Rifles. Colonel (acting Brigadier) Geoffrey Ernest Mansergh late Royal Corps of Signals. (Appointment to be dated 1 June 1940). Colonel (acting Brigadier) Charles Walter Massy late Royal Artillery. Lieutenant Colonel (acting Brigadier) Donald Jay McMullen Royal Engineers. Lieutenant Colonel Charles Alexander Phipps Murison Royal Artillery. Colonel (acting Brigadier) Guy Allen Colpoys Ormsby-Johnson Royal Army Pay Corps. Colonel (acting Brigadier) Reginald Horace Roger Parminter late The Manchester Regiment. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Charles Constantine Phipps late Royal Engineers. Colonel (temporary Major General) Vyvyan Vavasour Pope late Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps. Colonel (acting Brigadier) Neil Methuen Ritchie late The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment). Colonel Charles Edward Gowran Shearman late The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. Group Captain Alexander Shekleton Colonel William Thomson Sheppard Retired Pay, late Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) John George des Reaux Swayne, late The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's), and The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. Colonel Arthur Clifton Sykes late Royal Corps of Signals. Colonel Edwin Ernest Enever Todd Royal Army Pay Corps. Colonel (Honorary Brigadier) Clement Thurstan Tomes (retired pay), Colonel, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Colonel (acting Brigadier) Rowland Henry Towell late Royal Artillery. Lieutenant Colonel (acting Brigadier) Edward Galvey Warren, The Northamptonshire Regiment. Colonel (temporary Brigadier) Daril Gerard Watson late The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. Colonel (Honorary Brigadier) John Leslie Weston Retired Pay, Reserve of Officers, late Royal Army Service Corps. Colonel Gordon Wilson late Royal Army Medical Corps.
Royal Air Force Air Commodore Arthur Samuel Glynn Air Commodore (now Acting Air Vice-Marshal) Frederick George Darby Hards Group Captain Robert Victor Goddard Air Commodore Charles William Nutting Group Captain Walter Thorne
Nursing Catherine Murray Roy Matron-in-Chief, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.
Colonies, Protectorates, etc. Group Captain Leonard Monk Isitt Colonel Charles Joseph Dane Lanktree, E.D. General Reserve, Ceylon Defence Force. Colonel (Brigadier) Edmund Frank Lind Australian Military Forces. Colonel Owen Herbert Mead New Zealand Staff Corps. Paymaster Captain Robert Charles Negus
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) Royal Navy Acting Commander Aubrey Rowland Alston. Commander Evelyn Farrance Anderton, . Commander John Macaulay Arnaud. Lieutenant Commander Vernon Edward Barling-Nicholson (Retired), . Paymaster Commander Laurence Arthur Boutwood. Commander Samuel Arthur Brooks (Retired), HMS Kingston Jacinth. Lieutenant Robert Chudleigh HMT Salvonia. Lieutenant Thomas Edward Davies HMS Northern Gift. Commander Arthur Hamilton Drake, late of . Commander Edward Acton Alcock Gibbon, . Lieutenant Commander William David Gordon Weir, . Lieutenant Commander James Paul Kinner Griffiths (Retired), . Lieutenant Herbert William Groves. Captain Herbert George Hasler Commander Herbert Leonard Hayes, Fleet Air Arm.