Honours / Awards ( MBE & OBE )

[rosie99]

From familysearch
Elizabeth Frances Crawford
John Nugent Harris
Marriage Jul - Sep 1888
Sligo, Ireland
Jul - Sep 1888
Sligo    2 / 233

Her husbands death is registered under just the name of Harris too
Deaths Dec 1953 
John N Harris   
age 91   
Cuckfield    5h   184

[KGarrad]

Thanks all!
That makes it a lot easier to find them on the 1911 census

Names as mentioned:
John Nugent Harris and spouse Elizabeth Francis Harris - so NOT a double-barrelled surname

[groom]

Her husband John Nugent Harris was a founder of the Women's Institute in the UK. I would guess she got the award for services to the WI. Scroll down to 1915  http://www.thewi.org.uk/about-the-wi/history-of-the-wi/the-origins

[Elwyn Soutter]

I've had a look for this kind of information too. Failed to find anything in the archives. Did find material in local newspapers, as suggested. I'm not at all sure what happens to the paperwork.....someone must make a recommendation, committees must sift recommendations, recommended lists must be sent to No 10 or the Palace or somewhere, with some notes attached I would expect.... but where are they?

Anyone can be recommended for an award. Some recommendations are by private individuals, others by charities and some by employers eg for military personnel. The citation goes to the Cabinet Office and is passed on to the Palace with a recommendation one way or the other.

The person who receives the award does not necessarily get to see the citation. (I know from personal experience). All you generally get told is that it was in connection with “your services to nursing” or whatever. As far as I can tell the citation is never normally made public, so getting to see the exact detail is difficult, if not impossible, unless the person making it chose to send the recipient a copy.  (I think the originals are kept in Buckingham Palace’s records, but I am not sure they are open to the public).

[KGarrad]

Try here: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/15387/page/412/data.pdf

Half way down, right-hand column.


As I suspected; it's a matter of searching under the right name!

[groom]

Good find KG - just shows how all the bits of the puzzle come together.

[brianoleary85]

I had been researching an individual who had been awarded an OBE in 1918, to find out more information you'll have to write (by old fashioned letter rather than email), to:

The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood,
St. James' Palace,
London SW1.

They were very helpful and were able to track down the individual in question and provide info on their awards.

If you give all the details you possibly can on the individual (addresses, date of birth, roughly when the award(s) were made), they should be able to help. However, as far as I remember they won't be able to give any details as to the reasoning behind the award. I think there might be a broad reason, for instance "services to charity", but they don't have any biographical details relating to the award (at least not for the early ones, I couldn't say regarding more modern awards). Hope this is of some help!

I can't quite remember where in my mess of papers the reply was, but I don't think there was too much more information than available in the Gazette. I was looking up a political figure and hoping for further information on the people who nominated him, and there definitely wasn't anything of that nature available for records at that stage anyway.

[Jebber]

Recommendations for military honours and awards 1935-1990 can be downloaded from the National Archives.

[Dolly_007]

Evening,

Thank all so much for your replies  .

John Nugent Harris was my great great Uncle & they often used " Nugent Harris " as a double barrel surname when it really was Harris (!).
You have all given me some good pointers - many thanks .

Dolly.