Australian Women's Register

An initiative of The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) in conjunction with The University of Melbourne

Skip to content

Browse Entries

Exhibitions

  • Faith, Hope and Charity Australian Women and Imperial Honours: 1901-1989

Imperial Honours System

Summary

The Imperial System of Honours and Awards is a scheme of honours bestowed on citizens or foreigners by the British monarch. This system has a long history, rooted in Roman traditions of awards for military service. Over the twentieth century the honours system has gradually evolved to recognise civilian service and other achievements.

Until 1975, the British Imperial system was the only system for recognition of the service of Australian citizens to Australia. Today, the Imperial system has been largely replaced by the Australian system, established in 1975. Imperial Honours continued to be awarded to Australians on the recommendation of some States until 1989. The Queen still bestows some honours personally.

Archival resources

Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales

  • Jean Fleming Arnot - personal and professional papers, 1890-1995, 1890 - 1995, MLMSS 3147 ADD-ON 2070/1-15; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details

National Library of Australia

  • Northcote papers [PRO 30/56] [microform] 1904-1908; National Library of Australia. Details

Published resources

The Australian Women's Register Exhibitions

Books

  • Selected ribbons of the British Empire decorations, British General Electric, Sydney, 195-, 1 folded sheet pp. Details
  • Citizens' Life Assurance Co., Ltd., For the V.C., an annuity for life, The Company, Sydney, 56 pp. Details
  • De L'Isle, William Philip Sidney, 1st Viscount; Royal Australian Regiment; 4th Battalion, Ceremonial parade, on the occasion of the presentation of the Queen's and regimental colours to 4th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment by His Excellency, the Governor-General, the Right Honourable Viscount De L'Isle, VC, PC, GCMG, GCVO, Adelaide Oval, 11th April 1965., Adelaide, 1965, 11 pp. Details
  • Maton, Michael, Imperial honours and awards to Australians 1901-1992, Michael Maton, St Ives, NSW, 1996, 276 pp. Details
  • Maton, Michael, The Order of the British Empire to Australians : 1917-1989, M. Maton, St. Ives, N.S.W., 1998, 311 pp. Details
  • Maton, Michael, A roll of imperial honours bestowed on Australians 1901-1989, M. Maton, St. Ives, N.S.W., 1999, 910 pp. Details
  • Maton, Michael, Imperial orders to Australians : 1901-1989, M. Maton, St. Ives, N.S.W., 1999, 256 pp. Details
  • Maton, Michael, A century of Australian bravery, M. Maton, St. Ives, N.S.W., 2001, 497 pp. Details
  • Maton, Michael, Gallantry and distinguished service awards to the Royal Australian Air Force in the Second World War, M. Maton, North Turramurra, N.S.W., 2002, 327 pp. Details
  • Maton, Michael, The Distinguished Flying Cross to Australians, M. Maton, St. Ives, N.S.W., c2000, 515 pp. Details
  • Pamm, Anthony N., Honours and rewards in the British Empire and Commonwealth, Scolar Press, Aldershot, England, 1995, 1657 pp. Details

Online Resources

See also

  • 'The Quiet Australians Project', in The Order of Australia Association Website, http://www.theorderofaustralia.asn.au/. Details
  • 'Order of Australia', in Australian Republic Unplugged, http://www.statusquo.org/orderofaus.htm. Details
  • The London gazette, 1666-. Details
  • Commonwealth of Australia gazette, Government Printer, Canberra, 1901-1973. Details
  • 'Honours for Aborigines', Identity, 01 Oct, p. 15. Details
  • 'Queen honours Queensland racism', Identity, vol. 3, no. 4, 1977, p. 9. Details
  • Australian honours and awards. Information Paper., The Library, Parliament of Victoria, Melbourne, 1984, 9 pp. Details
  • Gallantry decorations, Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General, Canberra, 1996, 42 pp. Details
  • 'Order of Australia Association South Australian Branch Website', The Order of Australia Association, South Australian Branch Committee, 1997, http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ooa/. Details
  • Media release by Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair, AC Chairman of the Council for the Order of Australia, Council for the Order of Australia, Canberra, 1997, 7 pp. Details
  • Women and awards : honouring Australian women, Commonwealth Office of the Status of Women, Barton, A.C.T., 2002, 8 pp. Details
  • Awards and National Symbols Branch; Department of Administrative Services, The Australian honours system., Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1991?, 34 pp. Details
  • Baker, John and Downey, Bob, Honours and awards presented to members serving with 2nd Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment 1945-1995, 2nd Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment Association, Brisbane, 1997, 47 pp. Details
  • Bulow, Kerry, Foreign awards to Australia from World War One to the Korean War, Kerry Bulow, Hampton Park, Vic., 2000, 121 pp. Details
  • Commonwealth of Australia, Australian bravery decorations, 2 edn, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1979, 14 pp. Details
  • Commonwealth of Australia, Australian bravery decorations, 3 edn, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1988, 24 pp. Details
  • Fagg, Christopher M., George, Albert and Edward medals to Australians 1887-1984 : a roll of all Australians awarded the George, Albert and Edward medals from 1887-1984 together with details of the incident for which the award was granted, Northern Historical Militaria, Rocky Cape, Tas., 1988, 129 pp. Details
  • Frewen, J. J., Sequence for wearing ribbons of Australian decorations and medals, Australasian Honours Research Group, Surrey Hills, Vic., 1984, 1 pp. Details
  • Jones, W. H., Development of the system of honours and awards in Australia, W. H. Jones, Wahroonga, N.S.W., 1987, 59 pp. Details
  • Kirkland, Frederick (ed.), Service 1993, Plaza Historical Service, Cremorne, N.S.W., 1993, 104 pp. Details
  • Kirkland, Frederick, Order of Australia, 1975-1995 : the first twenty years, 2 edn, Plaza Historical Service, Cremorne, N.S.W., 1995, 875 pp. Details
  • Kirkland, Frederick (ed.), Service 1995, Plaza Historical Service, Cremorne, N.S.W., 1995, 134 pp. Details
  • Kirkland, Frederick (ed.), Order of Australia, 1996-1997; & Service, 3 edn, Plaza Historical Service, Cremorne, N.S.W., 1997, 364 pp. Details
  • Maton, Michael, The national honours and awards of Australia, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, NSW, 1995, 168 pp. Details
  • Petre, Clare, A matter of honour : the report of the Review of Australian Honours and Awards., Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1995, 457 pp. Details
  • Protocol and Hospitality Branch; Premier's Dept; Queensland (eds), List of Queenslanders who have been awarded honours in the Imperial and Australian honours systems, Annual. Details
  • Publishing Services; Central Office of Information, Honours and titles, HMSO, London, 1996, 159 pp. Details
  • Robertson, Megan C., 'Orders, Decorations and Medals of Australia', in Medals of the World, http://www.medals.connectfree.co.uk/australia/australia.htm. Details

Clare Land

Created: 26 August 2002, Last modified: 14 April 2005

Comments

Leave a comment

Comment guidelines

(required)
(required)

Site-wide information and acknowledgements

National Foundation for Australian Women The University of Melbourne, eScholarship Research Centre

http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/IMP0083b.htm

The Australian Women's Register is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License