The New Year Honours 1953 for the United Kingdom were announced on 30 December 1952,[1] to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1953. This was the first New Year Honours since the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. The Honours list is a list of people who have been awarded one of the various orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom. Honours are split into classes ("orders") and are graded to distinguish different degrees of achievement or service, most medals are not graded. The awards are presented to the recipient in one of several investiture ceremonies at Buckingham Palace throughout the year by the Sovereign or her designated representative.
The orders, medals and decorations are awarded by various honours committees which meet to discuss candidates identified by public or private bodies, by government departments or who are nominated by members of the public.[2] Depending on their roles, those people selected by committee are submitted to Ministers for their approval before being sent to the Sovereign for final approval. As the "fount of honour" the monarch remains the final arbiter for awards.[3] In the case of certain orders such as the Order of the Garter and the Royal Victorian Order they remain at the personal discretion of the Queen.[4]
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.
- ^ UK list: "No. 39732". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1952. pp. 1–36.
- ^ "Honours committees". United Kingdom Government. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
- ^ "Development of the Honours System". Royal Household. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
- ^ "Order of the Garter". Royal Household. Archived from the original on 14 June 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2010.