The 1915 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V 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 in The London Gazette and in The Times on 3 June 1915.
Many of the honours were awarded for efforts in the war. The Times noted, "The lists of Honours conferred on the occasion of the King's Birthday reflect the mood of the time, and contain, for the most part, the names of those who have been engaged in forwarding the national cause, in one way or another." A second list of birthday honours "for services rendered in connection with military operations in the field" was released on 23 June, with appointments to date from 3 June. The list included nine recipients of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Four of the recipients of the Victoria Cross were killed in actions and received the honour posthumously.
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 divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.
United Kingdom and British Empire
Baron The Rt. Hon. Sir Francis Bertie , British Ambassador in Paris since 1905. Sir Kenneth Muir-Mackenzie , Permanent Principal Secretary to the Lord Chancellor since 1890 and Clerk of the Crown in Chancery.
Privy Councillor The King appointed the following to His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council: Lord Robert Cecil Sir John Newell Jordan Francis Dyke Acland Harold Trevor Baker George Cave Henry Edward Duke John Mackinnon Robertson
Baronetcies Frank Bowden of Nottingham; chairman of the Raleigh Cycle Company. Arthur Henry Crosfield . Served as Member of Parliament for Warrington from 1900 to 1910. Edward Alfred Goulding . Elected Member of Parliament for Worcester in 1908. Robert Park Lyle, For public services as a member of the Royal Commission on Sugar Supplies. Sir Henry Norman . Liberal Member of Parliament for South Wolverhampton and for Blackburn from 1910 to the present time. Sir Gilbert Parker . Novelist and Honorary Colonel of the Kent Royal Garrison Artillery. Conservative Member of Parliament for Gravesend.
Knight Bachelor Henry Francis Doran, member of the Congested Districts Board for Ireland. Honorary Commander Edward Lionel Fletcher . Joint manager of the White Star Line; contributed valuable services to the transport of the Expeditionary Force. Lieutenant-Colonel William Forbes, Commandant, Engineer and Railway Staff Corps, General Manager of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. Charles Edward Fryer , Superintending Inspector of Fisheries, Board of Agriculture. Officer of the Legion of Honour, and an Officer of the Order of Leopold and of the Order of Dannebrog. Joseph A. Glynn, Chairman, National Health Insurance Commission (Ireland). Henry Ledgard, of Cawnpore. John Lindsay. Formerly Clerk to the Glasgow Corporation (Police Department), afterwards Senior Town Clerk Deputy, and subsequently Town Clerk. Charles Stewart Loch. Former Secretary of the Charity Organization Society; member of the Royal Commission on the Aged Poor, and subsequently served on the Royal Commission on the Care and Control of the Feeble-Minded and the Poor Law Commission. James Mackenzie . Heart specialist and lecturer on cardiac research at the London Hospital, and author of many works on diseases of the heart. John Henry Maden , High Sheriff of Lancashire. From 1892 to 1908 he was a Liberal Member of Parliament for the Rossendale Division. The Hon. Peter McBride, Agent-General in London for the State of Victoria. Leo George Chiozza Money . Liberal member for Paddington North and East Northamptonshire; author and authority on economic and fiscal subjects. Ruthven Grey Monteath, of Calcutta. James Murray . One of the Trustees of the Scottish National Galleries. He served as a Liberal member of Parliament for East Aberdeenshire from 1906 to 1910, when he retired in 1910 because of ill-health. Frederick Needham , Commissioner, Board of Control, Commissioner in Lunacy. Walter P. Nevill, London stockbroker whose advice on matters connected with the Stock Exchange since the outbreak of the war has been of great service to the Treasury. Erik Olof Ohlson, of Hull, for valuable assistance to the Foreign Office since the outbreak of war. William Pearce . He was a member of the London County Council from 1892 to 1900; Member of Parliament for the Limehouse Division of Tower Hamlets as a Liberal since 1906. Director of William Pearce and Sons, Ltd. and Spencer Chapman and Mensel (Limited), chemical manufacturers. Edward Rigg , Superintendent, Operative Department, Royal Mint. Edward George Saltmarsh, Former president of the London Corn Trade Association and served on various War Committees. William Napier Shaw , Director of the Meteorological Office. William Capel Slaughter. Solicitor and founder of Slaughter and May; has served as a member of the Royal Commission on Sugar Supplies and has been helpful in other capacities to the Board of Trade. William Slingo, Engineer-in-Chief, General Post Office.
Colonies, Protectorates, etc. Herbert Brown Ames, Member of the House of Commons of Canada, Honorary Secretary of the Canadian Patriotic Fund. The Hon. Edgar Rennie Bowring, Member of the Legislative Council of Newfoundland. Henry Lumley Drayton , Chief Commissioner, Board of Railway Commissioners for Canada. John Craig Eaton, of Toronto. Charles Frederick Fraser , Superintendent of the School for the Blind, Halifax, Canada. Robert Hotung, of Hong Kong. The Hon. Thomas Hughes, Member of the Legislative Council of the State of New South Wales. Thomas Muir , Superintendent-General of Education, Province of the Cape of Good Hope, Union of South Africa- Alexander Wood Renton, the Chief Justice of the Island of Ceylon.
British India Rash Behari Ghosh , of Calcutta. John George Woodroffe, a Puisne Judge of the High Court of Judicature at Fort William, in Bengal. Rabindranath Tagore, of Bolpur, Bengal. Robert Richard Gales, Indian Public Works Department. Haji Muhammad Yusuf, of Bombay.
The Most Noble Order of the Garter
Knight of the Garter (KG) Field Marshal The Rt. Hon. Sir Horatio Herbert, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) Military Division Army General Sir Douglas Haig , General, Colonel, 17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers. General Sir Bruce Meade Hamilton , Commanding 1st Army, Central Force.
Civil Division The Rt. Hon. Sir George William Buchanan , His Majesty's Ambassador, Petrograd. The Rt. Hon. Sir Rufus Daniel, Baron Reading
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) Military Division Army Lieutenant-General Edward Cecil Bethune Colonel, 4th Dragoon Guards, Director-General of the Territorial Force, War Office. Lieutenant-General William Pitcairn Campbell , General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command. Major-General William Henry Birkbeck , Director of Remounts, War Office. Major-General George Kenneth Scott-Moncrieff , Director of Fortifications and Works, War Office. Major-General Edward Ritchie Coryton Graham , Colonel, The Cheshire Regiment. Major-General Thomas Lethbridge Napier Morland Major-General Thomas D'Oyly Snow Major-General Francis John Davies Major-General Henry Hughes Wilson Major-General Henry Fuller Maitland Wilson Lieutenant-General Henry Buckley Burton Watkis , Indian Army.
Civil Division George Stapylton Barnes , Second Secretary, The Board of Trade. Malcolm Graham Ramsay , Assistant Secretary, The Treasury. The Rt. Hon. Sir John Fletcher, Baron Moulton
Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) Military Division Royal Navy Vice-Admiral Edward George Shortland (retired). Engineer-Commander Harry Lashmore
Army Surgeon-General Thomas Martin Corker Major-General Charles Irwin Fry, Indian Army. Major-General Walter Charles Hunter-Blair. Colonel Coventry Williams. Colonel Edward Douglas Brown-Synge-Hutchinson Colonel William Robert Stewart, Assistant Director of Fortifications and Works, War Office. Colonel Reginald Salmond Curtis , Assistant Adjutant-General for Royal Engineers, War Office. Colonel William George Hamilton Colonel Duncan Alwyn Macfarlane Colonel Alfred Horsford Bingley , Indian Army. Colonel Richard Henry Ewart , Indian Army. Colonel William George Lawrence Beynon , Indian Army. Colonel Edward Mabbott Woodward. Colonel Alexander Beamish Hamilton. Colonel Walter Coote Hedley, General Staff, War Office. Colonel the Hon. Alan Richard Montagu-Stuart-Wortley , Director of Movements, War Office. Colonel Richard Wapshare, Indian Army. Colonel Frederick William George Wadeson, Indian Army. Colonel Claud William Jacob, Indian Army. Colonel Arthur Edward Aveling Holland Colonel Alfred Stokes Colonel Ricardo Dartnell Petrie. Colonel Harry Neptune Sargent Lieutenant-Colonel and Brevet Colonel Edmund Howard Gorges , Commandant, West African Regiment. Colonel Owen Cadogan Wolley-Dod Colonel Alexander Stanhope Cobbe , Indian Army. Colonel Frederic James Heyworth Colonel Sherwood Dighton Browne. Colonel Arthur Lynden Lynden-Bell Colonel Sinclair Westcott , Army Medical Service. Colonel Robert St. Clair Lecky. Colonel Robert James Geddes , Army Medical Service. Colonel Robert Wanless-O'Gowan. Colonel Sidney Henry Powell. Colonel Lochinvar Alexander Charles Gordon. Colonel Arlington Augustus Chichester Colonel William Arthur Robinson. Colonel Henry Joseph Everett. Colonel Evan Eyare Carter Colonel Maurice Percy Cue Holt Colonel James Meek , Army Medical Service. Colonel Thomas Heron, Army Ordnance Department. Colonel Samuel Henry Winter. Colonel William Travers Swan , Army Medical Service. Brevet Colonel George Richard Tyrell Rundle, Royal Artillery. Colonel Howard Carr , Army Medical Service. Colonel Edward Feetham. Colonel Samuel Guise-Moores, Army Medical Service. Lieutenant-Colonel Laurence George Frank Gordon , Royal Artillery. Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Alexander Ormsby, Indian Army. Lieutenant-Colonel James McCall Maxwell, Royal Artillery. Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Philipps Lee, Royal Engineers. Lieutenant-Colonel George de Symons Barrow, Indian Army. Lieutenant-Colonel John Henry Twiss, Royal Engineers. Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Stewart Prichard , The Northamptonshire Regiment. Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Arthur Lewis Tagart , 15th Hussars. Lieutenant-Colonel Robert William Hawthorn Ronaldson, The Highland Light Infantry. Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Maurice Wilson, Army Service Corps. Lieutenant-Colonel George Templer Widdicombe, Indian Army. Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Annesley Dudgeon, The Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment). Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Fowler-Butler, The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). Lieutenant-Colonel Wilfred William Ogilvy Beveridge , Royal Army Medical Corps. Lieutenant-Colonel William Price , Director of Army Postal Services, Royal Engineers, Special Reserve. Lieutenant-Colonel Percy de Sausmarez Burney, Royal Artillery. Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Allan Roughton May, The London Regiment (Artists' Rifles) (Territorial Force). Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Wilmot Parker Herringham , Army Medical Service (Territorial Force). Temp. Colonel Sir Almroth Edward Wright , Army Medical Service. Temp. Colonel Frédéric François Burghard , Army Medical Service (Territorial Force).
Australian Forces Lieutenant-Colonel Neville Reginald Howse , Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (Staff).
Canadian Forces Colonel Arthur William Currie, 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade. Colonel Malcolm Smith Mercer, 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade. Colonel Richard Ernest William Turner , 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade.