The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions. In decreasing order of seniority, these are:
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) or Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Only the highest two ranks automatically cause an individual to become a knight or dame, an honour allowing the recipient to use the title "Sir" (male) or "Dame" (female) before his or her first name (though men can be knighted separately from the Orders of Chivalry). Honorary knighthoods, given to individuals who are not nationals of a realm where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Head of State, permit usage of the honour as a post-nominal but not as a title before their name. These recipients are classified as honorary members of the Order they receive, and do not contribute to the numbers restricted to that Order as full members do.
There is also a related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are not members of the Order, but who are nonetheless affiliated with the Order. The British Empire Medal has not been used in the United Kingdom or its dependencies since 1993, but is still used by the Cook Islands and by some other Commonwealth nations. The Order's motto is For God and the Empire. It is the most junior of the British orders of chivalry, and the largest, with over 100,000 living members worldwide.
This is an incomplete list of Order of the British Empire [OBE] recipients from the London Borough of Lewisham area and is being added to as new people are found.
| Burslem, Sidney | CD | Deptford | KM 8 December 1944 |
| Lt Col C G Blanchard | Mayor of Deptford 1939 - 1945 | ||
| H C T Hunt | Local Councillor Deptford | KM 16 June 1950 | |
| Dr H S Knight | |||
| Miss Emma Stevinson | Principal of the Rachel McMillan Training Centre, Deptford | KM 6 January 1939 | |
| Bessie Wulburn | Local girl awarded OBE for gallantry | AFS Telephonist Deptford | KM 7 Feb 1945 |
If you know of any more, please let us know. Or do you have more information on the people named above? If so click here to contribute information.
by Local History and Archives Centre, Lewisham and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence