Order of Merit - Definition and Overview

The Order of Merit is a British Order (decoration). It was established in 1902 by King Edward VII as a reward for distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. The rarer military awards were distinguished from the civil by having a pair of crossed swords behind the central medallion.

The order is limited to the Sovereign and twenty-four members, but additional foreigners may be added as "honorary members." From the beginning the order is open to women; Florence Nightingale was the first woman to receive the order, in 1907. The order confers no knighthood or other status, but recipients of this one-class order are entitled to use the post-nominal letters "OM". The badge has the appearance of a red cross surmounted by a golden crown. The ribbon is red and blue.

Order of Merit medal of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, displayed in the Royal Society, London

Current Members

• Sovereign: HM The Queen
• Members:
  • HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG KT OM GBE AC QSO PC (1968)
  • The Revd. Prof. Owen Chadwick OM KBE (1983)
  • Sir Andrew Huxley OM (1983)
  • Dr. Frederick Sanger OM (1986)
  • Dame Cicely Saunders OM DBE (1989)
  • The Rt Hon. The Baroness Thatcher LG OM PC (1990)
  • Dame Joan Sutherland OM AC DBE (1991)
  • Sir Michael Atiyah OM (1992)
  • Lucian Freud OM CH (1993)
  • Sir Aaron Klug OM (1995)
  • The Rt. Hon. The Lord Foster of Thames Bank OM RA (1997)
  • Sir Denis Eric Rooke OM CBE (1997)
  • Sir James Black OM (2000)
  • Sir Anthony Alfred Caro OM CBE (2000)
  • Sir Roger Penrose OM (2000)
  • Sir Tom Stoppard OM CBE (2000)
  • HRH The Prince of Wales KG KT GCB OM AK QSO PC ADC (2002)
  • The Rt. Hon. The Lord May of Oxford OM AC (2002)
  • The Rt. Hon. The Lord Rothschild OM GBE (2002)
• Honorary Members:
  • Nelson Mandela OM (1995)

See Also

• Members of the Order of Merit