Order of Merit

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The '''Order of Merit''' (OM) is a British honour. 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 disntinguished from the civil by having a pair of crossed swords behind the central medallion. The order is limited to twenty-four members, but additional foreigners may be added as "honourary members". The order is open to women; Florence Nightingale was the first of them, being appointed in 1907. Members are entitled to the post-nominal "OM". The badge has the appearance of a red Maltese Cross surmounted by a golden crown. The Indian Order of Merit, recognizing individual bravery by Indian military persons, was originally called "Order of Merit" when established in 1837, and was renamed when the present-day Order was established. ==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