Order of Bath


The order was founded during the time of the Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole and recipients were known as Knights of the Bath. The name derives from the ancient ritual of cleansing before admission to an honourable order. When the Napoleonic wars finally came to an end, King George IV wanted to confer rewards on many military and civilian officials so the Order was enlarged, creating two divisions, military and civil, and three classes:

Knight Grand Cross (GCB)
Knight Commander (KCB)
Companion (CB)

The three classes applied only to the military division at first, but was extended to the civil division in 1847. The badges were produced in gold up until 1887 and silver thereafter. In 1917 the CB badge was altered from being worn like a medal to being worn on a ribbon round the neck.




Regimental details


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by Stephen Luscombe