1915 Birthday Honours

The 1915 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were published in The London Gazette and in The Times on 3 June 1915.

Many of the honours were awarded for efforts in the war. The Times noted, "The lists of Honours conferred on the occasion of the King's Birthday reflect the mood of the time, and contain, for the most part, the names of those who have been engaged in forwarding the national cause, in one way or another." A second list of birthday honours "for services rendered in connection with military operations in the field" was released on 23 June, with appointments to date from 3 June. The list included nine recipients of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Four of the recipients of the Victoria Cross were killed in actions and received the honour posthumously.

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.

The King appointed the following to His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council:

'"On 26th April, 1915, subsequent to a landing having been effected on the beach at a point on the Gallipoli Peninsula, during which both Brigadier-General and Brigade Major had been killed, Lieutenant-Colonel Doughty-Wylie and Captain Walford organized and led an, attack through and on both sides of the village of Sedd-el-Bahr on the Old Castle at the top of the hill inland. The enemy's position was very strongly held and entrenched, and defended with concealed machine-guns and pom-poms. It was mainly due to the initiative, skill and great gallantry of these two Officers that the attack was a complete success. Both were killed in the moment of victory."

"On the afternoon of 25th April, 1915, in the neighbourhood of Ypres, when in charge of an advanced dressing station in some farm buildings, which were being heavily shelled by the enemy, he directed under heavy fire the removal of the wounded, and he himself carried a severely wounded Officer out of a stable in search of a place of greater safety. When he was unable alone to carry this Officer further, he remained with him under fire till help could be obtained During the very heavy fighting between 52nd and 25th April, Captain Scrimger displayed continuously day and night the greatest devotion to his duty among the wounded at the front."

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