Order of the British Empire Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Vestments and accoutrements== Members of the order wear elaborate vestments on important occasions (such as quadrennial services and [[coronation of the British monarch|coronations]]), which vary by rank (the designs underwent major changes in 1937): * The ''mantle'', worn by only Knights and Dames Grand Cross, was originally made of yellow satin lined with blue silk, but is now made of rose pink satin lined with pearl-grey silk. On the left side is a representation of the star (see below). * The ''collar'', also worn by only Knights and Dames Grand Cross, is made of gold. It consists of six medallions depicting the Royal Arms, alternating with six medallions depicting the Royal and Imperial Cypher of George V (''GRI'', which stands for "''{{Lang|la|Georgius Rex Imperator}}''"). The medallions are linked with gold cables depicting lions and crowns. <gallery caption="Knight and Dame Grand Cross insignia" class="center" widths="220px" heights="250px"> GBE mantle.jpg|Mantle worn by Knights and Dames Grand Cross (GBE) GBE star.jpg|Close-up of the Star on the mantle File:Collar and star of the Order of the British Empire.jpg|Collar and Star of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order </gallery> On certain "[[collar day]]s" designated by the Sovereign, members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, or evening wear. When collars are worn (either on collar days or on formal occasions such as coronations), the badge is suspended from the collar. Collars are returned upon the death of their owners, but other insignia may be retained. On less important occasions, simpler insignia are used: * The ''star'' is an eight-pointed silver star used by only Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knights and Dames Commander. It is worn pinned to the left breast. Varying in size depending on class, it bears a crimson ring with the motto of the order inscribed. Within the ring, a figure of [[Britannia]] was originally shown. Since 1937, however, the effigies of George V and Mary of Teck have been shown instead. * The ''badge'' is the only insignia used by all members of the order. Until 1937, it was suspended on a purple ribbon, with a red central stripe for the military division; since then, the ribbon has been rose-pink with pearl-grey edges, with the addition of a pearl-grey central stripe for the military division. Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on a riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commander and male commanders wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; male officers and members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; all females other than Dames Grand Cross wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. The badge is in the form of a ''cross [[wikt:patonce|patonce]]'' (having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end), the obverse of which bears the same field as the star (that is, either Britannia or [[George V]] and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]]); the reverse bears George V's Royal and Imperial Cypher. Both are within a ring bearing the motto of the Order. The size of the badges varies according to rank: the higher classes have slightly larger badges. The badges of Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames Commander, and commanders are enamelled with pale blue crosses and crimson rings; those of officers are plain gold; those of members are plain silver. * The ''British Empire Medal'' is made of silver. On the obverse is an image of Britannia surrounded by the motto, with the words "For Meritorious Service" at the bottom; on the reverse is George V's Imperial and Royal Cypher, with the words "Instituted by King George V" at the bottom. The name of the recipient is engraved on the rim. This medal is nicknamed "the Gong", and comes in both a full-sized and miniature versions β the latter for formal white-tie and informal black-tie occasions. * A [[Award pin|lapel pin]] for everyday wear was first announced at the end of December 2006, and is available to recipients of all levels of the order, as well as to holders of the [[British Empire Medal]]. The pin design is not unique to any level. The pin features the badge of the order, enclosed in a circle of ribbon of its colours of pink and grey. Lapel pins must be purchased separately by a member of the order.<ref>{{cite web|title=Emblem for honours (Archived 4 April 2012)|url=http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/Honoursawardsandmedals/DG_067923|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120404103105/http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/Honoursawardsandmedals/DG_067923|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 April 2012|website=The National Archives|publisher=DirectGov (UK)|accessdate=26 July 2014}}</ref> The creation of such a pin was recommended in [[Sir Hayden Phillips]]' review of the honours system in 2004.<ref>{{cite news|title=BEM Recipients Entitled to New Emblem|url=http://www.berwickshirenews.co.uk/news/local-news/all-local-news/bem-recipients-entitled-to-new-emblem-1-241213|publisher=The Berwickshire News|date=12 November 2008|accessdate=26 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729200444/http://www.berwickshirenews.co.uk/news/local-news/all-local-news/bem-recipients-entitled-to-new-emblem-1-241213|archive-date=29 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> <gallery widths="190px" heights="250px"> File:Order of the British Empire Insignia.jpg|Insignia File:MBE for Aviva Ben Raphael (5528384137).jpg|Badge as awarded to a female MBE </gallery> {| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;" width=55% |+ Order of the British Empire [[ribbon bar]]s |- style="vertical-align:center;" ! width=15% | ! width=20% | Civil ! width=20% | Military |- style="vertical-align:center;" ! 1917β1935 | [[File:UK OBE 1917 civil BAR.svg|110px|centre]] | [[File:UK OBE 1917 military BAR.svg|110px|centre]] |- style="vertical-align:center;" ! Since 1936 | [[File:Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon.svg|110px|centre]] | [[File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.svg|110px|centre]] |} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page